Team MSNR 2
by The Swordslinger
Summary: Challenge and fic: It's always a team of 4 different individuals forced to work together at Beacon. At times it works, others it makes for some awkward teamwork, and many more it makes you question the sanity around you with a prodigy scythe user, a cowardly marksman, a knuckleheaded "modern ninja" and a hotblooded girl with scissor-swords. Life sure is odd. May get rated M later.
1. Chapter 1

I OWN NOTHING

 **Rules for this challenge are in my profile.** Yes, I am redoing this for the sake of keeping a better flow than the previous story. The dialogue started to feel awkward, and some bits felt rather cliché. So here's me hoping this works best.

 **XXXXXX**

A journey together

Cheer.

All around him there was an odd cheer in the air, people just brimming with excitement about what their new school held and what it would show them.

And he really couldn't blame them.

He also felt like he could die, throw up, run off, or all three at the same time. Yes, it wasn't too good to be him at this time, was the thought one boy by the name of Shinji Ikari had. The lad could best be described as average in looks. Perhaps the most outstanding thing about him was how he was shorter than even girls his age, and far skinnier than most people in his line of work.

Adorned with a small mop of chestnut hair, a round face that could be described as anything but intimidating or fierce, and a very, very thin and rather girly frame and physique. The poor kid actually shuddered when one of his acquaintances put him in a red body suit and… the less said about it, the better. He only knew that if any of the guys around had seen him in… that… he'd either be the laughing stock, or asked out by the most oriented to- He felt sick again, either because of the mental image or the nervousness he didn't know.

His body was hidden beneath a large gray cloak that didn't look natural at all. Beneath it he had a blue military jacket zipped up, a bandolier on his right shoulder that went to his left hip carrying dozens of large bullets heavily loaded with Dust shards, a pair of gray cammo pants, black military boots with his pants' leggings inside them, and black fingerless gloves. He tried to remain hidden, keeping his cloak all over his body and using the hood to further hide himself.

' _Why did you have to drag me here, Misato?_ ' he cried internally, teeth working a rhythm as they smacked against each other in fear, "N-No… I can do this… I can do this…"

He said that, but he didn't feel any more confident. The ship before him was large and had been boarded by some towering warriors and more than a fair share of experts in weaponry. And what did he have? On his back, kept tightly in place with a leash, was a standard combat-sniper rifle with no scope, just the iron sights, and a knife attached to his right boot. Sure, the gun was modeled after a heavy assault rifle, being pitch black and rectangular with no sight of a magazine. If anything, it looked like a very large black pistol of about two and a half foot long.

On his way forward he should have minded more where he was going. He found someone that didn't like getting bumped into, a large and very heavily armored boy with auburn hair and a not very friendly face. The guy also had muscles over his muscles, and a mace that could certainly do more than cause headaches.

"A-Ah! Sorry!" he finally found his voice while sweat quickly built around him, ' _This guy… My instincts tell me I found a bully. Will I be doomed to share classes with him or will I manage to stay alive in-_ '

His train of thought died along any hope he had when the large auburn haired youth singlehandedly lifted him up, "Well, looks like you have something on your face. Let me get it for you." the very angered teenager said as he took a hold of Shinji's nose and readied himself to pull.

The sound of someone readying a gun stopped the armored teen, "Hi Shinji! I was almost scared I didn't get to say goodbye to you." Said a very, very well-endowed purple haired woman with long hair reaching her mid-back, a wide grin belonging to a ten year old boy, and good weapons on her body and currently also one in her right hand.

A seemingly normal steel pistol, one from a set of twins, was on the bully's temple, making the large boy sweat coldly at the woman's perfectly acted smile. She wore a red jacket, tight white pants, black combat boots, and a yellow top which showed she was all natural. A pair of holsters rested on child-bearing hips, one currently empty on her right while the one on her left had the other gun, and her hand resting on said handgun.

"Misato!" he felt close to crying at seeing the woman.

He felt his heart skip a beat when she used her thumb to pull back the hammer, "So… how about you get along with my cute little protégé, boy?" the woman, Misato, said with her smile growing goofier.

The large lad did that, patted and even dusted Shinji, and bowed, "If you'll… excuse me…" he said before gulping loudly and leaving them… with a wet spot in his pants.

"Scary…" Shinji mumbled as he stared at his guardian.

Misato smirked, pulling him in for a one-armed hug that had her charge lose oxygen with a mouthful of her cleavage, "Oh, my little Shinji's growing too fast after everything that we went through! I still remember how scared you were of holding your first gun until you got the hang of it!"

Hearing her nearly sing at the fondness of her memories, Shinji pulled back for a large gulp of air, "I still don't know why I'm here, Misato!" he fidgeted, "You saw that guy back there, he could have easily beaten me without even trying. So why am I even-"

Her hand rested on his shoulder, and a small but caring smile was aimed at him, "Because… if you don't try this not for me or anyone but yourself, how will you be able to stop being afraid?"

Hanging his head in defeat, he nodded slowly, "I know… I am scared, yes. I just don't want to screw this up."

She held both of his shoulders with her smile widening, "Then just try. And if it doesn't work, you can try some more."

He nodded slowly and faced the ship, "Thank you… I… I mean it." he bowed to her before turning to the flying vessel and running off, waving at her, "I can do it, right?!"

She waved energetically back at him, "If you can't, you will find someone that will make sure you do! Make sure it's a nice girl!"

And thus the boy, due to the embarrassment, nearly tripped on his way to the ship while the other students gigged or downright burst in laughter at what they heard.

Good, now he wished the ground would swallow him up.

XXXXXX

Up in the air one could feel many things, and they should also remember not to wear a short mini-skirt when high in the air.

Even so, many would look up and, to their misfortune, be unable to get a glimpse of the flying figure high above them. But what they did make out was a figure that made them think of nothing but a fairy tale witch. A cloak flew in the wind, and the small flyer was currently riding on some staff like a witch, or a magical girl depending on how one wanted to see things.

For the one soaring the skies, it was a fine day with some clouds to fly by, a nice breeze with the sun being kind to her form, and her destination just in front of her. She was a petite fifteen years old girl, and to say she was small was a bit short, pun intended. Even for her age she stood a few inches shorter than other girls. Her body was lean, a bit curvaceous on her hips though one would have to get dangerously close to see if they didn't mind a book to the skull. As for the chest department… if one looked really close they could see she had just started to grow there.

But for now she didn't mind much as she had a smile on her round face, her cute button nose up to smell the air, and her green eyes near sparkling in joy at what would happen. Her ashy blonde pigtails flew in the wind as she started to lower herself. It was when she was five feet from the ground that people could finally gape at what her method of transportation was. It was a big scythe which size alone would have been ridiculous for her to wield, which was why seeing her twirl it in one hand made a few people back off.

The scythe had two pitch blades with a red age, both currently apart to act as the wings that helped her fly, and a small, rectangular jet engine with quite some power. The engine itself stopped spewing blue flames the moment she landed. Mid-twirl the large weapon returned to have the form of a normal scythe, people watched her heft it on her shoulder where it folded into a suitcase. A true marvel of technology.

It completely contrasted with how cute she looked. She had on a red school mini-skirt that previously showed plain white panties mid-flight, black stockings that hugged slender legs that had some shape to them, a white long-sleeved blouse with a yellow sweater vest on top, and a green tie beneath said vest to complete the schoolgirl motif. However, she also had on a black school trench coat the likes some boys used for Japanese schools, and white gloves that remained clean.

Dressing said much of people, but to see her wear such normal clothing when compared to others made her stand like a sore thumb, not to mention her being way smaller than others.

She gave a slight hop, looking at the ship before her with her green eyes beaming more, "So this is my way to Beacon." She smiled serenely and walked forward.

"You're not leaving without us saying goodbye, Maka." Said a voice.

Maka, the pigtailed girl in question, put on a face like she had sucked on a rancid lemon, "Not you."

A man in a black business suit, a green dress shirt, a black cross-shaped tie, and with a mop of red hair walked to the girl with a large grin. He looked like a typical middle aged office worker, or would have had he not tried to grin as if he had all the reasons to have all the confidence in the world. The blonde girl had found herself truly disliking him for many personal reasons.

And she was reminded of the most prominent one when the redhead man stopped before her with a large and warm grin, "Maka, it hurts your father when you leave without telling him much. I thought we could have bonded some more working together and-" and this was when she was remembered yet again why she disliked him when a ridiculously voluptuous blonde girl with a long mane of hair and violet eyes passed by them.

Her father instantly gained heart-shaped eyes, making her sigh, "I'm leaving before I have to hurt you."

The redhead snapped his attention back to her at hearing those words, "Wait, Maka! I was about to say something real important, please, I implore you!" he even got on his hands and knees with his hands clasped together like he were praying.

Briefly gritting her teeth then exhaling between them, she spun around to face the man as he was almost near tears. Not wanting him to embarrass himself further and by proxy making her look bad, Maka asked him calmly, her tapping foot letting him know she was losing patience swiftly.

So the man got up with a surprisingly serious look on his face before he calmly told her, "Your mother and I, we may not bet together anymore, but to us you are the one subject we can both agree on nowadays, you are a prodigy who earned her place in Beacon Academy by your own merits, and we cannot be anything more than utterly proud of you. Maka, you will face many trials and tribulations at Beacon, but you're our child and we didn't raise you to be anything less than the very best you could be. Make friends with those you'll fight alongside, and be proud, that is the only thing I can ask from you."

Her eyes glistened briefly at his heartfelt words, her frown turning into a smile before she nodded with a determined gaze, "Of course I will dad! You were really cool just now, I'll write to you and mom as much as much as I can! Until then, I'll see you both!"

Turning around so she couldn't see how his eyes became sparkling blue orbs and he gained a loopy smile on his face, it was a wonder he was able to give her a thumbs up behind his back and walk off silently without crying in pure joy.

And then…

"Sorry, young lady. I couldn't help but see you need some help, maybe I could give you my number and address to-"

Maka turned around, expecting to see her father flirting with a woman. What she saw was a purple headed woman in a red jacket getting hit on by a man in his fifties or something with very long and very spiky white hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a green gi, a typical Japanese coat that started to fade as samurais became less common with time, matching slacks, a red vest on top, red wooden sandals and, perhaps the oddest accessory in the form of a horned steel headband. But to show he could fight he carried a pair of gauntlets in his persona, and a confident smirk.

Maka and the purple head felt some inner disgust build in them, all their instincts telling them that this man wasn't a pervert, he was something beyond any pervert ever conceived.

Which is why a part of them knew, it just knew, to not feel sorry for the elder when he got punched so hard in the face time seemed to stop as his cheek absorbed the punch. When time kicked in a second later, the man was gone, replaced with a statue of a Tanuki, a raccoon spirit of Faunus lore. However, since the statue got the punch's full force it started to crack before, to Maka and the purple head's shared shock, it burst into a million pieces.

"Nice try, brat!" the old man shouted from atop a lamp post to the one that tried to punch him.

"I know you're old as dust and no smart girl would date you, but I promised Granny to kick your ass if you tried to flirt with any girl or woman!" a boy shouted, aiming a finger at the elder.

The elder chuckled, "Finding a woman my age is like dating ash. I'd never find a woman my age unless it was good old Princess. Oh? That promise, though… Has she finally realized her feelings for-"

The boy was instantly in front of the elder, having jumped a good twenty feet in the air to come down with a dive kick. The onlookers could finally make his features in the sunlight. He had a wild mane of golden, spiky hair set in a mop that resembled a fox's head. Bright and sharp blue eyes were narrowed in a heated glare towards the elder. His face was lean and had what would developing into a strong jaw, and possessed six odd marks, three on each cheek, that would remind one far too much of whiskers.

The elder let out a yelp as the boy's kick missed his head by an inch. The white haired man managed to land on the ground and got into a defensive stance while the blond boy held on to the lamp post before dropping down to the floor. Now being able to look at him closely, one could see that he was clad in a manner similar to the man, but still as oddly outstanding. The boy wore a black martial arts gi, with no shirt underneath to show a lean but strong layer of muscle achieved through pure hard training, and on his back it displayed a red spiral emblem proudly. He kept his coat closed with a much worn out white belt tied around his waist, and his legs were hidden by a pair of orange hakama pants, a pair of loose pants worn by strong martial artists or master samurais.

Given the fact that he was barefoot and walked with ease on thickly calloused feet trained under harsh conditions, it was far too easy to assume he knew his way around throwing a punch. Taking his stance said so too, with his legs spread with the knees bent slightly to avoid damage if someone tried to sweep him with a kick, and his raised fists were heavily covered in bandages. In response, the old man took a different and far more defensive stance with a cocky grin.

"She didn't teach me how to use her strength for nothing, Ero-Sage." The blond declared, slamming his right fist into his left palm so hard it was like hearing a sledgehammer smash into a very thick wall.

The old man laughed louder, "She did, didn't she?" and he gave the boy a calmer, serene smile. "But in the end I trained you well, kid. Otherwise, good old Tsunade wouldn't have taken her time to teach you her secrets, but she would have either pummeled me to the ground or… yeah, better not talk about that."

The boy's face grew red, his knuckles cracking from how hard he clenched his fists, "You didn't do so to teach me, but to get women! I was a goddamn five year old when you first took me to a-"

"Ah, I have to go now!" the elder said hurriedly, sweating bullets, "Oh dear, I forgot that I had an important meeting with a friend of mine! Sorry, Naruto. Take care and do your best, and see if you can get in touch with girls for me!"

Now recently identified as Naruto, the blond teen rushed at where the elder was and punched through. He groaned while everyone else watched in shock how his entire arm went through yet another Tanuki statue. It was obvious the blond was fired up, so everyone decided to ignore what happened, partly in fear of having some serious brain damage if they tried to understand it. It proved to be a smart choice to give the boy a persona space bubble with a radius of about two yards.

"Smartass…" the blond grumbled before pulling the statue close to him and, unintentionally shocking the onlookers into silence, slammed his forehead on the statue so hard that his arm was free. The only thing that remained of the statue were pebbles of what formerly was solid rock.

He growled and ruffled his already unruly mane.

XXXXXX

"You're gonna have a real bad time, punk."

The sound of whimpering came from a large man in the grip of a seventeen year old girl a tad short in stature. She had black feathery hair, a red lock permanently pointing to her left, and sharp and penetrating blue eyes. She was quite the sight to take in, both in odd beauty and roughness. For example, her face while that of a cute girl had a somewhat permanent glare to it that could actually disappear if around good natured people. She had quite a nice body with large but not overly so breasts, a round and plump behind that wasn't too thick or too small, and a good curvature to her hips and waist.

Attractive as she may be, anyone who looked at her in the alley she was in started to run off. A small group of thugs started to leave the girl as she held their leader singlehandedly with her red gloved left hand, with an odd pin on the wrist. The fingerless glove was seemingly her only accessory. And with that one hand she was supporting the thug's entire weight, his legs were bent and loosely flopping around as he tried and failed to regain any balance.

The red locked girl scoffed and let go of the man, taking time to spit on the ground, "If you're so much of a sorry ass that you need your mates to take on a single girl, you're not even worth me getting angry."

As she said that, a rather timid looking brunette with long hair and, most notably, large and floppy bunny ears on top of her head, stepped from behind the raven haired girl. The brunette, obviously a Faunus, bowed politely to her new acquaintance, "Thank you, I-"

"Sorry, toots, but I don't want any thanks." The aggressive girl said with a dismissive wave, "I saw you packing heat and thought you actually could use help. But this loser could have been taken out easy."

The bunny girl nodded, her head hung low, "I know… I am sorry that you had to get involved, but I really don't want to fight… It's silly, I know, and yet every time someone sees my ears I just have to take it… For now that is better than start a pointless fight in which I wouldn't even be listened to."

The brunette also managed to examine the raven haired lass. A black sports jacket was opened to show a white blouse underneath, said jacket having white trimming and cuffs, along with a pair of white lines that went from the shoulders to the wrists. Around her neck was a red tie loosely hanging, showing that while it was a part of her uniform she didn't care much for how she displayed it. Last but not least, she had a short black skirt, white ankle-high socks, and black and white sneakers.

The delinquent-like girl gave the Faunus an odd look, "Yeah, no, that just means you got to kick some more ass."

Blinking in confusion, the bunny girl could only ask in confusion, "What…what do you mean?"

Giving a soft chuckle, the girl flicked her hair back, smoothing out a red lock hanging over her head, "I mean you need to realize that you're capable of fighting back. Just stand up to say what's on your mind, no regrets. You managed to get into Beacon, right? That means you're strong already." Her words were said from the heart as she banged her chest twice, giving the bunny haired girl a lopsided smirk, "Don't ever say you're weak, because I know differently. My name's Ryuuko Matoi, what's yours?"

Walking past the girl who followed her with awed eyes, the bunny girl could only gasp out, "My…My name is Velvet…"

Turning her head with a smirk, the red locked girl openly told her, "You've got a cute name. Listen, next time you need help just give me a call. For now just take care."

Just as she left, the brunette called out, "H-Hey! Wait… you don't think anything about us Faunus?"

Stopping, Ryūko turned her head and gave Velvet a chuckle, "I never hated anyone for having different blood than I did, or for believing in different stuff than I do. Simple as that. Like and dislike what you want, just don't be a pain in the ass about it."

Walking away at that, Velvet looked at the girl's back in quiet admiration, and wished to find her again at Beacon.

XXXXXX

"Headmaster Ozpin, might I have a word with you?" The headmaster turned his gaze to a calm faced woman in a lab coat.

This woman was beautiful and showing her age and having a child couldn't stop a woman from working hard to keep her figure but without being harmful to herself. She was almost model like but wasn't as unhealthily skinny as models, with short brown hair, features that defined feminine, a modestly sized bust, and mature features. Beneath her lab coat was a pink blouse, black skirt, and black thighs. Her flat shoes echoed behind the principal already alerting him of her presence while she flipped through pages on a clipboard.

"Yui." He said to acknowledge the woman's presence.

Yui Ikari, perhaps one of the most enigmatic women on his staff, and definitely one that could perturb even Glynda herself. Yui professed to him that she had all of one reason for working for him, she wished to see and teach her son when he ultimately arrived at Beacon. She confessed when he interviewed her for the job of Science teacher, that she wished to see him grow and mature as a man and warrior, and that he was all she truly cared for in this world.

"I've seen some of the new people you've enlisted with and without Glynda's consent." The brunette said, pushing up her glasses. The man took a sip of his coffee, and she knew it was because he didn't want the blonde haired woman to know of the details, "You have two child prodigies in the way of the scythe, one taught by Qrow himself, and the other refining herself with a Jet Scythe. Scythes are weapons meant for taking a life, nothing else."

"And it's with that violence that a life can be preserved." He said in his ever smooth voice as the sugar warmed his blood, amazing Yui that the caffeine wasn't turning him into another green haired man.

Yui flipped through her pages to two very special ones. Both were in red paper, "Naruto Uzumaki and Ryuuko Matoi." She showed the man the pictures with the word "Dangerous" written in big bold letters. "Details are unclear on Naruto, it's mostly the biased opinion of the villagers he lived with until some woman named Tsunade forced his godfather, Jiraiya, to take care of the child. As for Ryuuko Matoi, she's shown very violent tendencies after the death of her father, and is nothing to sneeze at in terms of combat. Both come from very highly unstable backgrounds, and you accepted them without a second choice."

He smiled, "Beacon stands are more than a school or a mere name. We can use it to guide others into a better light, even if at times we have to greet others with steel and blood."

Yui closed her eyes and nodded, "So long as you know what you're doing… Just let me be clear." She narrowed her eyes on the man, "If you play with Shinji… your life is forfeit." And then she smiled brightly, "Have a nice day!"

Ozpin watched her leave, and took a big gulp of coffee before sighing, "I find it troubling how she and Glynda are spending more time together…"

He turned around, cane in hand and empty mug needing a refill.

 **XXXXXX**

 **And that's my rap!  
**

 **For this new version you can see that there's been some modifications to Maka, Shinji and Naruto mostly. Maka gets a Jet Scythe which was inspired by the FLLFFL stick figure fights, which means she will be able to fly, dash around at high speeds, and get some insane moves in battle. Naruto is now more traditionally trained with taijutsu and Tsunade's strength added into the mix as well as his use of Aura being like how chakra works in the Narutoverse but mixed with the Ripple/Hamon from JJBA. Shinji for his part has his battle strategy inspired by Simo Hayha (historical figure and badass sniper), and The End from Metal Gear Solid 3, minus being part tree. As for Ryuuko... she's already a one-woman army, it'd be like putting a handgun to a tank, why do you give it one when it has a big cannon that can destroy enemies?**

 **As for pairings... I will think about that regard with Naruto, perhaps him being with Yang, Blake or, once again, Maka. I will think on this myself, I don't want any suggestions, and any attempts to try to make me choose one over the other will be politely declined. That is final.**

XXXXXX

 **Record Access… Team MSNR.**

 **Password...**

 **Authorization code: Cappuccino Deluxe 3147766.**

 **Welcome Headmaster Ozpin.**

-Maka Albarn - Leader and strategist. Prodigy scythe user.

Age: 15

Known relatives. Father: Spirit Albarn, hunter working for the dean at Maka's former school, extraordinary womanizer, widely disliked, divorced. Mother: Kami, scythe master, known for exceptional Semblance granting high level of Aura manipulation and usage, divorced.

Weapon: Jet Scythe, a special foldable double-bladed scythe that houses a jet engine. Perfect for quick movement and an incredible flying vehicle for some needed air-combat with the two scythe blades doubling as wings. One has to be careful, less they want to get burned by the fire, or accidentally fly into a wall. Maka however has little to no trouble using her weapon like an extension of her body.

A remarkable scythe user with overachiever issues.

-Shinji Ikari - Marksman, and medic. Expert at trying to running away from danger.

Age: 17

Known relatives. Father: Gendo Ikari Rokubungi, Criminal Mastermind, former scientist, currently imprisoned in a maximum security prison for multiple accounts of murder, theft, and abuse. Mother: Yui Ikari, exceptional scientist, well known for various advances in Aura research, popular among faculty and students for kindness and beauty.

Current Guardian and teacher due to mother's responsibilities, Misato Katsuragi. Exceptional markswoman and professional military woman, known for fighting in favor of the Faunus at war and for highly decorated military career, currently retired to take care of Shinji and two other students.

Weapon: Customized Dust rifle, a weapon Shinji crafted with some help. Can deal stunning, piercing and even long range damage with three different settings, and has a special chamber like that of an assault rifle's grenade launcher. This one is designed for dangerous Dust capsules.

Sub-items: HF knife and camouflage cloak. A high frequency short blade to help Shinji in CQC, and a sniper's ever reliable high tech cloak to blend in with the environment.

A cowardly sniper with confidence issues.

-Naruto Uzumaki - Tank and CQC expert. Uses a variant of ancient taijutsu.

Age: 17

Known relatives. Father: Unknown Faunus, deceased. Mother: Kushina Uzumaki, ex-teacher at Beacon, chain master, known for hot temper and unique Semblance that granted her exceptional stamina and longevity rumored to be hereditary, deceased.

Weapon: His own Aura, bare hands and feet. Due to his use of Aura, Naruto is in touch with everything around him in mind, body and soul. This shouldn't be taken lightly as he is known for using powerful Aura techniques to shoot shuriken-shaped projectiles capable of cutting through rocks from his bare hands. If that doesn't work, he can punch through solid rock.

Born from Faunus and human blood, and "modern ninja" with many social issues.

-Ryuuko Matoi - Scout and swordswoman. Specializes in getting close and personal.

Age: 17

Known relatives: Father: Isshin Matoi, exceptional scientist, formerly associated with military, currently deceased. Mother: Unknown.

Weapon: Scissor Swords. Twin blood red swords resembling tailor scissors. Sharp enough to slice clean through plates of steel without a scratch, little is known of these weapons except that Ryuuko is the only one capable of wielding them to their full potential.

Sub-item: Senketsu. A special Dust crystal located in the red glove she wears. Data is insufficient.

A drifter girl with a debt to collect with her father's killer.

 **XXXXXX**

 **Swordslinger out!**


	2. Chapter 2

I OWN NOTHING

Season 3 is out, so I may as well try to do something to celebrate what one man put so much effort into making.

 **XXXXXX**

Meetings are weird

The sound of heels clicking into the ship echoed around its walls. Some students would look at the suited men carrying large amounts of very large suitcases in trolleys. Walking before them was a girl best described as icy. Snow white hair done in a ponytail was one of her most striking features, her skin was pale, and her clothing with the exception of her jacket's underside was completely white. A dress with a short skirt that would have left her collarbones and shoulders bare if not for the previously mentioned jacket. And she had a very ornamented rapier on her hip.

"Miss Schnee, here is what you ordered." One of the suited men following her said, bowing while handing the girl a clipboard, and also showing his balding head which had a ponytail.

"Thank you, Alfred. Is anything like I expected?" she asked with a smile, her blue eyes scanning faces and data, but an eyebrow in which she had a scar lifted itself upon seeing something odd, "What's with these red papers?"

Her butler stood straight, his arms behind his back and his white mustache moving in sync with his words, "Those are some of the most questionable individuals that none other than Headmaster Ozpin allowed in. Now, the man himself offers the talented and the talented but determined a chance to be here. These possible hunters and huntresses… I'd like to explain it, but I think it'd be best if you read it. Words would fail me, Miss Schnee."

She waved dismissively, "You've done a good job already. The least I can do is familiarize myself with the possibilities and dangers at this academy." She moved through the ship, her eyes landing on the white papers, "Ah, Pyrrha Nikos. I wouldn't expect anything else from a real champion. Such a strong girl would do well as a partner. But let's see the competition and possible friends."

Her smile fell, her lips opening at what she saw with the next person. A brightly smiling blonde girl with pigtails. Her resume was amazing to say the least, "Maka Albarn… Top of her class, graduated early because of her skills and intellect. Proficiency with weaponry, Aura, and teamwork is…" her smile returned. "Now this is a tough one, should I go with Pyrrha as a partner or Miss Albarn?"

She asked that, and the person in question appeared before her, "Yes?" Maka asked, her head tilted at the odd albino girl reading some papers, "Do you want anything? And how do you know who I am?"

The girl swiftly hid the papers behind her back, smiling brightly like she had practiced for this very moment, "Hello there, fellow huntress. I am Weiss Schnee, and of course I'd know about you." she let an inner sigh of relief at the fact it all seemed almost natural, Maka's questioning green eyes said she was weary of Weiss, "Oh Maka, did you believe someone of your caliber wouldn't already have some fame to their name? Why yes, your mother's name explains that, but your merits more than surpass everyone's expectations."

Maka forced a smile, feeling fluttered, "That's good, I think. I don't mind the attention but I'm sure there are better fighters here. I've yet to polish my skills, which is why I came here. I thought that to truly move to the next level as a huntress Beacon would provide the opportunity I've been looking for."

Weiss smiled, "Smart, strong, and ambitious. I can just imagine how many friends you had, perhaps even a few boys who couldn't get you out of their minds." And here she mentally kicked her own round behind, ' _Ugh, I'm flattering her too much! This will look too suspicious! Calm down, Weiss, you can still do this…_ ' she gave the currently confused Maka a sheepish grin, "Sorry about that. I shouldn't dig into your personal life. I wouldn't mind getting to know you, though."

Maka blushed a bit, "Well, that sounds nice, but also a bit creepy…"

Weiss panicked, but kept her smile, "I don't mean-"

"Hey, what's that smell?!" a large student yelled, making everyone turn to him while another student right in front of him.

The large student in question appeared to be a Faunus, obvious because of the bear ears over the brown mop of hair on his head. He had bright yellow eyes, a set of sharp claws, and was built like a brickhouse. Standing at six foot and five inches, he towered over the blond boy before him. The bear Faunus wore a dirty white karate gi, with a worn black belt. His round face smirked, his large jaw looming over the blond as he took a sniff.

The blond in question was recognized by Weiss, ' _That's… Naruto Uzumaki. He's one of the kids on red paper… He was on a training trip for most of his life, and as a little kid was seen in hostess clubs accompanying some old pervert. He's even been in bar fights because of some woman he also accompanied. Everything else is a mystery. But he's supposed to be very, very strong._ '

Lowering his jaw to stare at the blond, the bear Faunus' smirk widened, "You got the blood of a human and a Faunus in you, don't ya blondie?" he then put a mock thoughtful look, "See, I always wanted to ask any half-breed something about their Pa and Ma… Who was the human? And were they in it to feel like animals?"

Naruto glared at the Faunus, "You believe I care what you think? I'm in this to be a hunter and surpass idiots like you. Say everything you want, I'll still be a better hunter than you'll ever be."

The Faunus glared harder, "You little… Think you're hot stuff because you were those stupid clothes?! I've mastered true karate, you only have a white belt!"

Naruto grabbed said belt with both hands, adjusting it, "I'm not scared of whatever color your belt is. How about you try to back up what you say?" Weiss and Maka's eyes widened when the larger of the fighters threw a punch. The whiskered blond saw it coming, and soon shot his right arm to the side, stopping and changing the punch's trajectory.

"You little!" the bear shouted and tried to punch again.

The blond lifted his left hand and slammed his palm down like he were trying to squash a fly. The bear Faunus stumbled forward and nearly fell down, but turned around with a growl. Naruto took his stance, keeping his balance. Charging forward, the bear Faunus lifted his right foot for an axe kick. That same instant the blond had stepped forward, throwing his right hand forward. The leg passed by the whiskered boy's shoulder, and his arm stopped the leg from hitting him.

And yet, his fist didn't make any contact with the bear Faunus' sweating, terrified face, "That's what I thought." Naruto said and flicked the Faunus' nose. Such an action would have hurt the other fighter's pride, but with the blond delivering the flick it hurt more than that. The small crowd the fight got had to move away when the heavyweight karate fighter was sent flying down the hall and crashed on someone.

Another blond, this one who had been emptying his stomach on a bin, looked back when the large bear Faunus landed and crushed another student under his weight. Said student was an armored buff student that Shinji met earlier that day, and who had seen an opportunity on pulling the vomiting boy's underwear over his pants. The motion sick boy would have tried to say something, but a particular shake of the ship made him return his head to the bin.

"Did that just happen?" Weiss questioned out loud, her mouth had been hanging open after seeing the large fighter flying so she finally voiced her thoughts.

The whiskered boy turned to the unconscious bear, "Next time you want to say anything about who or what I am, make sure you can fight worth something because I won't hold back." He then turned to everyone else and confidently, or arrogantly depending on your point of view, grinned at them, "See that? Name's Naruto Uzumaki, and I'll become the greatest hunter in all of history and you better believe it! You're all welcome to try and take the title from me!"

Maka gaped, "And I thought Black Star was loud." She paused and corrected herself, "No, wait, Black Star is louder and far cockier… But still, to think these two can back what they say like this…"

"Them's fighting words, pal!"

Before Naruto walked a girl at least a head shorter, perhaps around Weiss' height or even shorter by a couple of inches. Speaking of the snow white girl, she recognized her, ' _That's Ryuuko Matoi. Drifter, delinquent, and while her manners and intellect lack, she's said to be one of the best swordswomen ever. She's been kicked out of several schools for getting into fights, and once cleared a school yard filled with three hundred armed students all by herself._ '

There was a tension in the air that could be felt around everyone, like sinking into concrete, when the two blue eyed fighters locked heated stares. The blond knew she was strong, really strong, "You heard me just right!" Naruto boasted, "I'm going to be number one. If you want to say otherwise, I'll just find a way to prove you wrong!"

Ryuuko put down her guitar case, cracking her knuckles, "I was hoping to kill some time in this boring as ass trip anyway. Sure, I'll knock you down a peg or two."

"Whoa! Whoa! P-Please! No fighting! I can't handle something like this! Especially in this airship!" Running up and in between the two fighters was an otherwise shy looking and timid looking boy her age, but despite him being 17 he barely looked a day over 14 with his slender and fragile looking body. The combat knife and rifle he carried over his back however indicated he was indeed a worthy marksman.

' _Shinji Ikari, he was trained by the legendary markswoman who fought for the Faunus during the wars… And she's perhaps one of the most destructive and questionable huntresses out there. The report even says he's been trained with far more questionable people, both being highly dangerous and one of them very violent.'_ Weiss thought to herself, looking interested in the teenager as he cringed visibly when Ryuuko narrowed her eyes at him and glared him down.

"Peh…whatever, it's not worth it." She backed down taking things surprisingly well and walked away.

Naruto spat to the side and scratched his right ear with a grunt, "Suit yourself buddy."

He walked off, Shinji gulping with relief that he prevented an incident, "Yeah right!" they exclaimed in unison.

Shinji yelped, leaping out of the hall when the two hot-blooded fighters did a quick turn on their heels and clashed with matching smirks. Ryuuko groaned while Naruto pushed into her, trying to overpower and keep the red-locked girl down. She did have a good control of her legs and matched his rhythm with a good tempo. The end result was a tango that had both locked at the waist. Naruto's left hip was pressed with Ryuuko's, his right fist had been slapped aside for her to try to elbow his face with her left arm, and his left wrist had parried that strike while his arm took her other fist.

Jumping back, the two gave each other a knowing smirk, with Ryuuko flicking her nose with her thumb and Naruto jumping on his toes. "Not bad, Whiskers. But if you're thinking you're the best this place has to offer, I just really want to prove you wrong." Ryuuko said, grabbing her case.

Naruto got into his stance, his fists balled so tightly his knuckles cracked, "I'll admit, you're kinda cool if you managed to stop me. It means this will be fun!" he kicked the air for emphasis, his leg arching over his head and stamping strongly on the ground, making it shake slightly.

"ENOUGH!" hollered a deep voice akin to a man who had eaten the world's largest speaker and a dog.

The one to speak wore Beacon's uniform, and wore it proudly with his arms on his straightened back and his eyes forward. However, his body was so large it eclipsed everything and everyone, making him easily taller than any person anyone had ever seen in the ship. He had dark skin, was at least eight foot tall, and had his natural blonde hair cut in an aerodynamic fashion, pulled backwards. And while the student Naruto flicked was a large amount of muscle, this guy made that karate user look like a featherweight.

The two much smaller troublemakers found their feet hovering off the ground when the human tower picked them up by the back of their collars, declaring loudly like a megaphone, "I, IRA GAMAGOORI, SHALL NOT ALLOW STUDENTS TO BREAK BEACON'S IRONCLAD RULES! YOU TWO WILL IMMEDIATELY COME WITH ME TO DETENTION AND-"

"Gamagoori, sir!" a chipper voice yelled behind him.

The enormous man turned around while the two troublesome students were still flailing their legs on his grip, "Mankanshoku." He acknowledge the one before him.

Said person was a tiny girl, perhaps even shorter than Ryuuko. But she was quite well grown in other areas. Her head was adorned with a brown coconut-like helmet of hair, a big pair of innocent brown eyes filled with hopes, dreams, joy, determination, and appetite, and puffy mousy cheeks. She was also wearing the school's uniform, and was currently saluting the enormous man before her with her right eye winking, her smile wide, and her quite large chest puffed up.

"Mako Mankanshoku reporting for duty, sir!" she said excitedly before noticing who was in the man's hands, "Ah, hi Ryuuko!"

"You know each other?!" Naruto yelped, finally stopping his kicks to the air.

Ryuuko grinned, "Yo Mako. Mind telling the big guy here it's all a misunderstanding? Blondie over here picked a fight with-"

"I didn't pick one, I finished it!" Naruto replied.

"SILENCE!" the giant roared, and then set his eyes on Mako, "Mankanshoku here will escort you two to a detention room for the time being. I do not care who starts a fight, you won't try to throw filth to this academy's name with petty actions! On my name, I shall make sure you respect the rules Headmaster Ozpin and the Student Council President, Satsuki Kiryuiin, have worked so hard to uphold!"

"W-Wait!" said the scrawny, petit marksman, feeling far skinnier and tinier before the monument of power that was the one before him, "G-Gamagoori, sir. I mean… I…" he gulped and looked at the two, feeling his fists trembling at his sides while Gamagoori's patient stare drove him nuts on the insides, like he were about to explode if he didn't get an answer soon.

Which he did, "Speak up. What is it you want to say, freshman?" surprisingly, the man sounded very calm.

Shinji broke, "He didn't start a fight!" he signaled to the blond, "If anything, he was defending himself. He didn't start arguing, all the time he just defended himself against a bully. He only attacked to stop the fight, and did so when the other guy attacked him several times. As for the girl…" he looked at Ryuuko, and averted his eyes from her short skirt, "She… She saw him and… and…"

"And thought he was starting trouble, so she tried to stop him." the two hot-blooded teens turned to stare in awe at the small girl beside Shinji, who gave the boy a cheerful smile before looking at Gamagoori determined to get her way, "It was a misunderstanding. They weren't really trying to fight, they just tried to stop someone from picking up a fight, or thought they were doing that."

Gamagoori narrowed his eyes, turning them to Mako, "Is that true, Mankanshoku?" he turned to look at the other students, daring anyone to say otherwise.

"Yup!" Mako said cheerfully, too cheerfully, "I-It's not like I was taking a nap after having a delicious lunch of Mystery Croquettes, sir. No, not at all! Hahahaha! I mean, you asked me to watch over this place, right? Ehehehe…"

It was obvious she was lying, but Gamagoori seemed content with the answer and set down the two near Shinji, letting the boy see Ryuuko was taller than him by half a head, "Next time a fight starts, do not take a part on it. You shall come directly to me. AM I CLEAR?!"

"Crystal!" everyone in the ship said, saluting him like Mako did.

Happy with the reply, Ira turned around and returned where he came from.

Shinji let out a long sigh of relief, "I saw my life… flashing before me…I need happier memories…"

The younger girl merely clapped his back, Maka smiling brightly as she told him, "Don't be sad, you managed to stand up to such brutes with surprising ease, you're braver than you think you are. Be proud of that." She then blinked and noticed that while Shinji looked even younger than her, he was a good two inches taller.

Letting out a cringe, Shinji none the less looked grateful about Maka's words, the two relaxed as the airship continued on its way to Beacon.

"This isn't over, Whiskers." Ryuuko said with a cheeky grin, her eyes sending lightning that crashed with Naruto's heated glare.

"Far from it, Feather Head." The blond growled, smiling through clenched teeth.

Maka and Shinji could only sigh. But soon it was time for them to get out of the ship.

XXXXXX

"Shinji!" The young boy was surprised when he saw his mother warmly approaching him from the academy. She opened her arms and embraced him, the two sharing a rare moment of physical affection that had many of the onlookers mockingly oohing and awing. Yui's harsh and extremely brutal frown at those mockers make them gulp and back off as she held her beloved and only son.

"Whoa, who's the babe?" a few boys asked in hushed whispers, but Yui's cold glare silenced them while she held her son closer.

"I've missed you my baby boy. Have you been fine? Has that Misato been treating you well?" Yui asked her child with a concerned look, the two of them sharing an obviously close connection and familial love for each other that made Ryuko and Naruto feel a little longing.

"She's… Misato." He chuckled weakly, but the odd trio he met stared at the warm smile he had. It was simply odd to see such a happy expression on his face after what they saw.

"Ahem!"

The group turned to see a blonde woman with reading glasses, her hair done in a bun with part of it braided at her side. She had what would be best described as a secretary outfit complete with a white blouse, a black skirt, and standing out for the odd cape she had. On one hand she had a clipboard which she used to scan the teens before her, and the other, which held a riding crop, pushed up her glasses.

"Oh Glynda." Yui started.

"I've heard from Gamagoori about what happened on the ship." She said coldly ignoring the woman, aiming her eyes to the black and orange clad blond and the feather-haired delinquent girl, "I'm just here to earn you two that the more fights you get into without your teachers' consent…" she slammed her riding crop on her hand, making everyone wince while she didn't even flinch, "You'll be disciplined."

And with that, she left. Ryuuko voiced her thoughts, sarcastically though, "What a cupcake."

Maka frowned at the taller girl, which she caught sight from, "You shouldn't be that disrespectful to a teacher after almost getting yourself in trouble."

Ryuuko let out an irritated tsk, "Listen, so long as they don't get all high and mighty I'll keep going to class, tell them I made it there, and answer their questions about what war was important. Don't be such a prude so early on, sister."

"I'm not a prude!" Maka retorted, blushing hotly.

Naruto for his part just stepped back and squatted a few feet away, keeping a low point of view of the girls inching closer. He made sure to put his eyes on the same level as their skirts if anything got fun. Yui looked at the developing situation, hoping the pigtailed blonde would be the smarter one and stop anything. Shinji for his part just sighed in defeat.

"Can we not fight, please?" the petit marksman finally asked, "We're not even inside the school, for crying out loud." It took him great effort to keep his voice from shaking, but he managed.

Naruto finally seemed to notice the two smallest students, "Aren't you two rather young to be here? Or are you just accompanying your Mama?"

Shinji groaned, "I'm… seventeen."

Ryuuko blinked incredulously, "Wait, what? You look her age!" she said, hooking a thumb to an offended Maka.

"I happen to be fifteen." She grumbled.

Naruto scratched his head, "Then you're two years too young to be here. What gives?"

Maka sighed, pulling her folded jet engine-powered scythe up, "I just did well at my school and managed to skip a couple of years."

Ryuuko grinned, "So a child genius? Good, I know who I'm taking notes from."

Naruto glared at the blue eyed girl, "Hey, hands off her."

Ryuuko arched a brow, "What's with you?"

"You're not going to pick on her, that's what." He said strongly.

Ryuuko snorted before bursting in a brief fit of laughter, "Hah, how cute! You thought I was one of those stupid bitches that forces other girls to do their work? Please! I at least put some effort into this crap. But let me say, seeing you stand for her is just adorable."

Naruto's cheeks burned red and he started to stomp towards the raven haired girl, only to be stopped by Shinji attempting to push him back, "Please be reasonable! You already got told off by a teacher!"

Maka pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking of a solution, "Why don't you two make a truce?" she got their attention with how ridiculous the idea sounded, "You can wait until you get a chance at any ring or arena to fight with the teachers giving you permission. Or is that too hard for you too?"

She put on a stern face that, given how small and admittedly cute she was, just made the pigtailed blonde look adorable.

The blond grabbed his neck, cracking a few joints, "Fine…" he turned to Ryuuko with his right hand extended, which she gripped tightly.

The sound of their knuckles cracking and their bones creaking echoed, "You better make it in one piece. Otherwise, I'll just hunt you down." She said with a bloodthirsty smirk more typical of an anime villain.

He grinned like a hungry, vicious fox, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Yui for her part sighed contentedly, a hand on her cheek, "My baby boy's finally started to make some friends."

The sound of an explosion made everyone turn around to find a small redhead girl in a red hooded cloak with a black dress, corset, boots, stockings, and a curvaceous body for her age. She was standing in front of a very ticked off Weiss, who glared and shouted to the redhead, whose short dark crimson hair had seen better days without sooth on it. Smoke, electricity, fire and ice floated in the air around them.

Maka stepped forward, "Weiss, what's the problem?"

Weiss previous good humor that Maka thought almost characteristic of her was thrown out the window, "What do you think, Maka?! This… dolt! This dolt not only smashed my things, throwing them on the ground, but she almost ruined my Dust collection. Now… look!" she shouted, motioning to the chaos around them.

Maka sighed, "Can you calm down? You're making a scene."

Weiss was beyond furious at the moment, "Calm down?! Maka, you being here is something I can understand and respect. But this…"

The small girl pulled back her hood, revealing silver, teary eyes, "I said I was sorry, Princess!" she said with puffed cheeks. Maka also noticed that the redhead had to be her age, and far more stacked.

"Hey, aren't you that girl that was harassing her?" Ryuuko asked Weiss with a finger aimed at Maka, blunt like head trauma.

Weiss blushed, "H-How dare you?! I was just scouting a possible friendship with a competent and capable student!"

Shinji walked up, "Can we not fight, please? I feel like a broken record saying that." He told Ryuuko, who looked down on him before turning away with a barely irritable tsk, "Also… Weiss, right? If Maka made it here, then she also may be good."

The redhead nodded, "Y-Yeah! So… can you please stop yelling at me?" she looked horrified.

Weiss grunted and turned around, "Just keep her away from my belongings."

Ryuuko growled, "Whatever you say, Princess."

"It's heiress." Said Naruto, arms crossed, "Weiss Schnee… I know your family. Every Faunus does."

She stared coldly at him, but didn't show much anger, "And your point would be? Because, as far as I'm concerned, it's the White Fang that has a bone to pick with my family."

Naruto groaned, "And I can see why. Just drop the attitude. Feather-head I can deal with. It's idiots that fight for no reason but because someone's different that piss me off."

The albino walked around him, "Do you understand what my family's name means to every Faunus and human? Oh, and don't go acting all righteous. I do not hate Faunus by what they are… I despise what they do to my family."

"Right, that's it." Ryuuko was about to chase her, but found herself stopped by Shinji.

"Don't." the boy simply said, and before Ryuuko could argue the petit marksman motioned to the whiskered half-breed, "Look at him. He will get into fights at the drop of a hat, but he's not chasing after her."

Naruto heard her, "That's because whether it's a human or a Faunus, it's all the same crap about who's better." He walked off, and stared at the others with a frown, his eyes shut in a way that made him look like a fox, "It's also idiots that hate others for things no one has any control over that pisses me off."

Maka beamed, "Good. Now, can we all be friends?"

"With him/her?" the hot-blooded duo asked, like they had been about to eat a delicious sandwich but someone farted on their face.

Maka's forehead and gloved palm greeted each other. The sound of hand smacking forehead echoed because of Shinji, who slid his hand down just enough to cover his face.

The redhead girl slowly and surely stepped back, bumping into a black-haired girl that had a small vial of Dust, "Next time you see her, give this to her. It may help you start a better conversation."

The hooded girl was about to speak, but the girl was gone before she could say or do a thing.

XXXXXX

Humming to herself, a blonde girl with massive spiraling pigtails merrily looked at the ceiling lights above a prison cell, her visible blue eye staring seemingly at nothing. Whirling around a purple umbrella, she turned and waved cheerily at a security camera, her face up close to its lens, and her lips turned up into a wide smile. Clad in a beautiful pink dress, with a purple eyepatch over her right eye, and wielding an umbrella she seemed utterly cheerful in the drab room.

Her eye snapped ahead as she saw her lovely maman sit down at a steel chair, a two way mirror with a speaker being readied for her. The woman looked radiant even compared to the disgusting squalor of the prison chamber, her eyes closed in beautiful contemplation. Opening them slowly, two red eyes looked amused when a scruffy haired, bearded man wearing cracked yellow glasses was slammed into a chair opposite her mirror. Handcuffs clinking as he maneuvered his hands into a steeple as best he could.

Her smile was akin to a viper's: cold, cruel and utterly without mercy. "La vie est drŏle…Gendo dear, are you a fool or simply single minded?" She spoke with perfect white teeth gleefully annunciating every word she used. "Even I'm not so foolish as to directly involve myself with Beacon's best and brightest. To think you were caught, you, Gendo Rokubungi, once one of the greatest scientists and criminal masterminds in all of our world…caught because you couldn't keep your fists off of your child. And all because you were upset that Yui favored him more than you."

The man took this without a single blink, but the tensing of his body made the woman look even more delighted.

"How're they doing?" he asked coldly, staring her in the eye.

She smiled, the girl beaming with the answer on her lips, "Shinji-kun is so cute and even made friends at that Beacon Academy your ex's working at."

"What of our partners?" he asked, ignoring the girl's presence.

The woman widened her smile, "That petty thief of Torchwick is doing his job in getting us the Dust. Cinder's being a delightful child looking forward to the tournament and some… possibilities."

Gendo nodded slowly, "Then… what of our actual associates?"

The woman's smile lowered itself a moment, "Our dear witch Medusa is doing her research. Her way of using Dust is nothing compared to my method, but we still share notes."

Gendo decided to humor her, "Suppose you two have a party, what would happen?"

Her smile turned into a smirk, "I'd almost pity whoever we use this on… Almost." She sighed, running her fingers on her dress' hem, "But our other friends… They're still hunting."

He didn't twitch, he just replied straight to the point, "That's all I need to hear. But I think you're here for more."

She slid a folder on the table, smiling at what she showed him, pictures and names, "If you have to play this game of chess with Ozpin, I recommend you know what pieces he's using." She waved dismissively, "Au revoir."

Once she stepped out of the prison, she found herself smiling at the shadows, and a hooded figure at her side. The body was mostly hidden, but slender, feminine arms with snake tattoos were shown as the figure squatted on the shadows, "You've got an odd fascination with those kids, don't you think?"

The woman smiled, "Afraid I'll take some of your guinea pigs?"

The other woman chuckled, her voice coming out like a hiss, "I'm actually delighted at the idea of what would happen. I am a woman of science just as much as I am one of the four that want to destroy this world's order."

"Speaking of us… How's our other friend doing?" the hooded figure asked with a smirk.

"We shall have news of whatever prey is captured soon enough."

 **XXXXXX**

 **And that's my rap!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed it. After watching the third season finally airing, I'm happy to see that people still put heart and effort into a story even if the creator's gone. So here we have something more in tune with RWBY's kind of humor. And yes, expect Naruto and Ryuuko to fight even more.**

 **Also, if you're wondering why I paired Naruto with Maka and Shinji with Ryuuko on the previous version, well, you know they say that opposites attract, right? Well, by the laws of magnetism equals repel each other. A problem when being in a relationship is that you and your love partner can be too similar. Part of what's fun in a relationship is that you're with someone different than you, that gives you another perspective of the world, and that you experience both good and bad things with while realizing you'll stick with them through thick and thin.**

 **Swordslinger out!**


	3. Chapter 3

I OWN NOTHING

Being very well-known in the ways of odd friendship that Undertale and its quirky story put me through just to send me from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, expect oddities.

 **Warning** : There's a cameo from another franchise, but worry not, they won't be that much of a major addition, just a cameo.

 **XXXXXX**

Befriending is weirder

"Ugh, there goes a good part of my life I'm never getting back."

Ryuuko groaned. Speeches annoyed her. Listening to the principal sounding so ominous and mysterious annoyed her. Then again, she had much more important things she wanted to do than listening to the gray haired man talking. She had questions, she had determination, and she also had a huge hole in her stomach that was begging to be filled.

Quickly wiping the saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth, the girl made her way forward, "That cafeteria better have some good grub."

"It does, but I have much more important matters to attend with you Ryuuko Matoi," she turned to find a student in a white uniform, "like you trying to pick up fights."

The student was a tall male with unruly green hair and sharp green eyes filled with excitement and hot-blooded determination. His features were wild and sharp, like a monkey that could just wake up and start a real battle. His outfit consisted of a black trench coat normally used in Japanese uniforms. Said trench coat was opened to reveal a green muscle shirt, and the coat's right sleeve having a green armband on his biceps. His pants matched the coat along his shoes, completing the look of a traditional banchou, a stereotypical Japanese delinquent.

He, like many students could easily claim, was taller than her. She hated having to literally look up at others, but she wouldn't let that take out her fighting spirit, "What's the problem? Last I checked a teacher and this big guy Gamagoori already gave me some words about it."

He smirked, reaching above his right shoulder towards a handle, "I've heard you're quite the sword wielder, and that you're looking for answers. Naturally, there's only one person who you'll go to directly." He pulled out a long shinai, a bamboo sword, "You already know her name, don't you?"

Ryuuko returned the smirk, about to open her briefcase, "Satsuki Kiryuiin, right? So what are you, her lapdog or her pet monkey?"

The student chuckled, "I see you're similar to one of my teammates, so I'll thank you for the future quips I can use with her. However, you're after my captain. I can't allow you to frolic around without a lesson." He aimed his blunt weapon at her, holding it in a traditional kendo stance, "I'm Uzu Sanageyama. You dare to fight my captain. Prepare yourself!"

It made her lose a heartbeat, but Sanageyama's sword flew faster than she thought he would, and the shock came mainly because she hadn't attacked at all. The bamboo sword lashed to his side, nearly escaping his grip. The two looked around frantically for whoever managed such a strike. They found no one.

But Ryuuko relied on her eyes, while Uzu heard something, "What're you doing? The fight didn't even start." She called out after him.

The green head scowled, "I know… But we got ourselves a sniper that doesn't want me to fight you. And judging by the fact he hasn't shot again, he's made his message clear." He turned to her, "I already lost interest in this fight. Next time we meet, it'll be a different story. Be grateful that someone decided to watch over you."

"Hey, don't run away!" she was about to give chase, but couldn't.

"See? Even you don't want to fight anymore…" Uzu stated, "Just forget this happened. Sooner or later you will come to us, and that's when I'll properly see what you have."

The red-streaked girl let out a brief laugh, "Are you sure you're not trying too hard to be a samurai?" she taunted.

He laughed back, "Don't forget to thank him." he said while passing by a tree, quickly kicking it with great force.

A yelp was heard, and soon a gray cloaked boy fell face down on the floor. He quickly got back up on his feet, pedaling backwards to keep a safe distance between him and the green head. Ryuuko recognized him even before the skinny and effeminate boy crawled backwards and smashed his back against a tree. She felt pity when he watched Uzu walk closer and trembled.

"H-Hi…" Shinji mumbled, waving a hand at the far taller student.

Uzu grinned, "Aren't you gutsy trying to take a cheap shot just to keep a girl safe?" He then arched an eyebrow, "What're you fumbling wi- Gah!"

Ryuuko cried, shielding her eyes when a bright flash blinded her and the green head.

She was about to shout a good part of her swearing repertoire, but a hand quickly found hers and took her away, "Let's go!" said the cowardly sniper, taking her away from the other student.

It was a good five minutes until they stopped and her eyesight returned. It allowed her to see Shinji bent over, panting and still holding her hand. His face went redder than her red streak of hair, and quickly pulled his back. Now here they were, face to face with Shinji's looking down to avoid any and all eye contact with the girl.

She sighed, and tried to be reasonable, "Thanks…" his head snapped up in shock at her words, "However, next time that happens just let me fight. Still, thanks for trying to cover my hide."

He smiled meekly, "You're welcome, and… Sorry. I know you probably didn't want to be saved or anything, but-"

"What did you even do?" she asked, digging her pinky into her ear, "That flash was really annoying, but it got us safe. What was it?"

He fumbled but picked a bullet out of his pockets, a bullet filled with Dust, "I carry many of these in case I need the extra firepower… And I… uh… kind of threw the first one I could reach."

She snorted, "What? You mean to say you helped me out of luck?" she grinned and patted his back, but the cringe on his face that she missed said the smack would leave a mark, "Well, color me impressed. The monkey was right, you're kind of gutsy if you managed to get us out like that."

He averted his eyes and grit his teeth, trying not to show her how much pain her hand had inflicted, "T… That's good… Thanks…"

"Anyway, where's the cafeteria?" Ryuuko asked, "I could really grab a bite to eat."

Shinji pointed behind her, and the banchou girl finally took notice of the cafeteria, making her smack her own forehead.

"AH! Dammit! Who threw that?!"

The two turned to find an odd scene. The boy that Shinji recognized as the one that tried to pound him into dust until Misato saved him was there. Said armored teen and a group of other boys also clad in armor – though one was dressed like he came out of a punk concert - surrounded a brunette that Ryuuko recognized due to her large rabbit ears. Velvet was teary-eyed but her expression was now of shock instead of fear. Though one could say her tears could have also been from pain due to how one of her large ears flinched.

"Heh, too easy…" they heard from a roof, and noticed a familiar pair of hakama pants at a good distance away from the bullies.

Naruto threw a couple of acorns in the air and caught them in his hand, instantaneously flicking them with his thumb straight at the bullies. His smile could be best described as that of a troublemaking child. He just had an odd, devilish smirk all over his face, but his eyes and their mirth conveyed something far more childish. His makeshift bullets nailed the other armored teens on the head, making them run away.

With that the blond jumped down, chuckling while Velvet just looked around in confusion, "What just happened?" she asked thin air.

The blond dusted his hands, "That was fun. Wonder what other idiots I can find to mess with here." His smile returned tenfold, "Man, I'm really going to enjoy my stay in here if everyone's this easy to fool. But who am I kidding? When it comes to this there's no truer king of pranks than me!"

The fourteen year old looking seventeen year old quickly clamped his hand over Ryuuko's mouth, "Please don't start a fight." He begged, the girl groaning but agreeing with a grumble.

"Fine, but just because he did something nice for Velvet." Speaking of the bunny girl, "Yo Velvet! How's it going?"

The girl, currently in a brown combat outfit that truly showed her curves, perked up when she looked at the red-locked girl, "Oh it's you… Um… Ryuuko, right?"

Shinji tilted his head in confusion, "Do you know each other?" he wanted to put the word 'actually' in that sentence but decided to be smart and polite.

Ryuuko grinned cheekily, "Met her earlier today." She then gave the Faunus a warm grin, "You ok? I hope this doesn't mean you're not getting a break from this kind of bozos."

Velvet shook her head, "Thank goodness not everyone is against Faunus. But at times I do have to stay close to my team. Those four freshmen happened to find me when I was going on my own to find a snack and…" she looked around, "Now that I think about it, where did those acorns come from?"

Shinji chuckled sheepishly, "Let's just say you owe someone a huge thank you… Although, after seeing how he tends to act I'm… not really sure if he did it to be nice."

Velvet smiled softly, "Well, if I meet him again I'll be sure to thank whoever helped me."

Ryuuko snickered, "That'd be fun to watch… Bit of advice, though: he doesn't seem to be good at dating."

XXXXXX

"At-choo! Ugh… there better be a real gorgeous babe talking about me."

After that sneeze, Naruto just wanted to get into the cafeteria even more. He had already made his day a lot brighter by annoying some Faunus haters. Good pranks done right did work an appetite on him, though a lot of things did make his stomach feel empty. Either way, after pondering if he should stick to the rules and wait in line or sneak around to get some food without anyone noticing, he saw something.

It was a pitch black, single-edged blade slowly sheathed. The handle of the sword was white as snow, just like the sheath and the pantsuit the one before him used. It was with the click of the metal guard meeting the hilt that he jumped back on instinct. It was a good thing he did, because a large teen fell before him. In fact, many teens all clad in informal clothing and with their weapons drawn fell down.

For a second, Naruto's heartbeat just stopped. Whether it was from shock, awe, fear, or the sword wielder turning around was hard to tell. Long black hair that reached a curvaceous pair of hips, legs that went for miles, and a bust that any man would kill to rest their head on. The dark mane she possessed was cut to perfection with evened bangs. But when she turned he found himself oddly captivated. It wasn't because of the big fuzzy eyebrows or stern look that didn't hide the fact she was a real knock-out. Her high-heeled shoes clicked mid-turn.

And then they were face to face, "Now, I don't believe you're teamed with this group of delinquents, but I also have no reason to believe that. Would you mind explaining your presence here?" she asked, her left hand holding her katana at her side, ready for anything. He noted she was about a year older than him.

He whistled, "I was actually walking around looking for the cafeteria. Seeing you do this, though… Who are you? And is there any chance I get to fight you in this school?"

She closed her eyes, still stoic and cold, "I am Satsuki Kiryuiin. As for you… You're Naruto Uzumaki if memory serves me right. We and many other schools have been warned about your backstory."

That soured the boy's mood, "What's it to you, then? Because if you got a bone to pick with me, I've heard every damn speech about how others see me as trash. Do me a favor, skip it and get to the point."

Her lips remained pursed while her face kept that icy aura around her, "To me hearing about you is no different than hearing about these delinquents." She said actually colder than before, "What you are to me is another student that needs to know of discipline, respect, and honor. A hunter that just goes looking for fights like one of the creatures of Grimm is a hunter this world can do without."

Naruto chuckled, bitterly, "Unfortunately for you, I don't go looking for fights like I'm some Grimm. I go looking for fights that are worth it."

Sliding her right foot forward, she took a pose, "And what would a worthy fight be to you?"

Naruto smiled, but to her perfectly masked surprise his smile was that of a kid eager to do something, "A fight worth fighting is one where I can show everyone who I am, to have them recognize I'm alive. That I'm me, dammit! I just want to fight the strongest people around to show them who is Naruto Uzumaki!" he took his stance, "And I'm always ready to show that I'm alive!"

After such a loud declaration the last thing he expected was to hear her chuckle and see her guard lowered, "You amused me just now, so I shall let you go with a warning. If you do not stick by what you said and start picking fights meaninglessly, I shall personally make sure you never return to this academy."

"Is that a challenge?" he smirked at her.

Her face turned cold once again, "You should go and get ready for tomorrow, Uzumaki." She pulled out a phone and started to walk away, "Gamagoori… Just outside the cafeteria. Yes, I dealt with them myself." After watching her leave, with his mind wondering how she could be blessed on the chest department like a woman he knew, taking his own route back to get something worth sinking his teeth on.

"Was that girl giving you trouble?" As he turned to leave, he stopped when he saw the petite girl in front of him. Her hands on her hips as she leaned forward and gave him a serious look, her green eyes locked with his. "Satsuki Kiryuiin is a whole mess of trouble and not a lot of good, or so I've heard. She's a pretty serious and strong woman as you must have found out." Maka explained further, her green eyes scanning the scenario that proved she was right.

"I'll deal with her in my own way, so don't worry your little head about anything." He said with one of his confident grins, though she did find it worth a look that said he shouldn't be so reckless.

"Still, don't go looking for trouble her way, I've heard a lot about her even in my old school. Child prodigy, extraordinary pedigree, genius level intellect, already has her own team, she's practically on another level and is known to be ruthless when she needs to be." Maka said, she read a lot of newspapers and Satsuki made headlines often enough that she couldn't remember the exact dates of every single one.

He grinned, "Actually, that sounds better. It's like asking me to just fight her." She frowned disapprovingly at that, which he noticed, "Come on, I said I want to be the strongest. Of course I'll look for the strongest people in this world and show them what I'm made of."

"It's not going to do you much good if you fight someone without thinking." She replied, "What if you had to fight someone that could counter everything you threw at them?"

His grin widened more, if it was possible, "I'll just find a way to beat them!"

Maka smiled, giggling a bit, "You're certainly modest." She joked before extending her hand to him, "Anyway, I don't think we were introduced. I'm Maka Albarn. It's a pleasure to meet you."

His grin went a bit lopsided, "Uh… Naruto Uzumaki. And same…" he ruffled his hair, "Ugh, this is lame. Sorry, I'm just not used to cute girls talking to me."

"Oh, this is so cute!"

The two blondes turned around to find another blonde, both having matching blushes at what they heard. This girl had major differences to Maka, though. For starters, her hair was a wild but perfectly combed mane of golden locks that reached her waist in waves. Her eyes were lilac and full of energy, her outfit was more revealing than many would think she should wear, and she was stacked to the roof. Naruto had to force his eyes up, away from the top that left little to the imagination. Maka's green eyes remained focused on the large orbs of flesh, fighting the urge to pat her flat chest in dismay.

"Who are you?" Naruto finally asked, sounding rightfully irritated at the intrusion.

The new blonde smirked, "Name's Yang, and I believe you may know each other." From behind her she pulled out the petite redhead that Weiss had been shouting at earlier that day.

Said gothic Lolita quickly started poking her fingers together, "Uh… Um…"

Maka stared at the awkward girl, smiling patiently, "Hi."

The redhead kept her gaze away from the pigtailed girl, "Oh… Are you guys hungry?"

"That's kind of why we're headed to the cafeteria." Naruto stated the obvious.

Maka resisted the urge to groan at his lack of tact and opted for some conversation to cut the tension, "Would you like to join us? I'm Maka, and the big guy is Naruto."

"Yo." responded the big guy with a casual wave.

"S-Sure, if you don't mind. I'm Ruby." The girl said, shaking hands with Maka and doing a double take, "I shouldn't say this being fifteen but… aren't you a little young to be here?" Maka's grip tightened, getting a pained yelp from Ruby.

The pigtailed girl smiled softly, but her bangs shadowed her eyes, "Oh, I happen to be fifteen as well. I skipped a few years because of my grades. If you're here then I'm just itching to get to know you better."

Naruto took a step back, ' _This girl… My survival instincts are telling me to not tick her off._ '

Yang seemed blissfully ignorant of all of this if her slapping the redhead's shoulder said anything, "See sis? I told you you'd get friends soon."

Maka let go of Ruby's hand, which was quickly tended by the redhead, and she could only stare in shock at the girls while Naruto voiced her thoughts, "Wait, if you two are sisters then I'm a rat Faunus."

Yang smiled, "Yeah, we kinda get that all the time. Trust me, it's confusing since our last names are different but she's my sister through and through, and I'm not changing her for anything or anyone."

Naruto stared at nothing in particular, "I see, must be nice to have someone here." He said a tad absentminded. "Ugh, sorry. I didn't mean to sound so sappy."

Maka sighed but patted his shoulder, "Hey, since I know you're kind of a good guy at least let us be friendly with you." He looked oddly at her for the kind words, but nodded to her, looking at her as she stepped away with a bright smile. He followed her, the smaller girl gently bumping elbows with him and smiling in an utterly bright way at him.

"People are weird." Was his ultimate thought when a smile crept to his face.

XXXXXX

"Well, look who just decided to get in others' way." The tall young man in armor from before pushed Velvet out of the lunch line, making her yelp until she bumped gently against Shinji's chest.

The petit marksman gasped as the bunny eared girl whimpered against his body, briefly his eyes took in the hurt look in hers, and his face hardened.

"Hey…" He whispered, but noticed the group wasn't listening to him, "Hey… Hey. Listen to me!" Before the man knew what had happened, Shinji had whirled around, grabbing him by the shoulder.

The towering teen growled when turning to the short sniper, "Oh, I remember you…" he smirked, "Good thing your momma ain't here to keep you safe. You punkass… I'll-!" Naruto appeared in front of him, his leg already shooting forward straight up, deflecting the punch the buffer teen tried to connect with Shinji's face and throwing said armored youth to the ground without remorse.

Velvet looked shocked by the violence on her behalf, until Ryuko clapped a hand onto her shoulder, the odd eyed girl giving her a low smirk and nod, "We told you that there was someone you had to thank before, but for now please step aside." She walked forward while Naruto glared at the other guys, "Yo Whiskers! Mind if I get in trouble with you?"

"Depends." The whiskered boy replied.

He turned to Maka, who gave him a determined nod, "Kick his butt!" the pigtailed girl said, and it made Naruto grin.

"I bet you something, Feather-head." Naruto started, getting into his stance, "I will beat them without actually hitting them."

Ryuuko allowed herself to get confident, "Then I bet you I can beat them without using my weapons."

The group of bullies got up, their leader, the one that had been about to punch Shinji, pulled out his mace. One of his friends had a halberd, another a gun-sword as in a broadsword with the ability to shoot bullets, and the last one, the guy with the Mohawk, had a pair of daggers. They looked beyond furious at how cocky the two blue eyed teens were boasting.

"Cardin, are you sure we should mess with these guys? I think I saw fox-face over there somewhere." The one with the Mohawk told the leader.

"We just crush them and ask questions later, Russel. Dove!" Cardin shouted, the one with the gun-sword standing ready, "You and me get the fox. Russel, you and Sky teach the girl some manners."

"I'd like to see you try." Ryuuko said, spitting on the ground before slinging her briefcase over her shoulder.

The quartet attacked the hot-blooded duo, and the blue eyed teens just didn't care. Ryuuko was quicker to react since Sky had a longer reach with his halberd, and used her briefcase like a shield with a cheeky smile on her face. She expertly side-stepped Russel's dual daggers by casually tilting her head to the side. Spinning around, she brought her briefcase her head and brought it down against the short blades, causing the Mohawk teen to stumble forward and meet the floor face-first.

Naruto showed to either be the crazier or braver of the two when he stepped forward and punched right at Cardin's mace when the large teen tried to smash his face in. The armored boy gasped when seeing the half-Faunus' hand connect and then slide down his weapon to grip it near the handle. Twisting the mace and by extension Carding's arm at an angle, he was able to turn around the teen and put him between himself and Dove, who stopped dead in his tracks before hurting Cardin.

At the same time, Ryuuko let Sky try to stab her and let out a chortle when she sidestepped the charge, brought her leg up against it, and changed its trajectory. Naruto immediately flipped Cardin into the air, keeping him airborne long enough to kick Dove's sword out of his hands, and letting him fall on Sky. Russel, who was charging again at Ryuuko, jumped up and attempted to strike her. In response she dashed forward and spun around, smacking her briefcase on his back and sending him crashing against Dove.

The cafeteria was deadly silent.

"Ok…" Ryuuko started, sweat building on her brow while the smile on her face trembled, "Either we're really awesome, which I don't doubt… or Gamagoori's behind us."

"Excellent deduction on the latter." Said the deep voice of the human tower.

The two thrill-seeking students turned around, not wanting to let the giant get the advantage of once again grabbing their collars to lift the two troublemakers like bugs, "Hello Ryuuko!" Mako cheered over the massive man's head, using his shoulder like a parrot would, "I wanted to share some of the croquettes mom sent me today!"

"Mankanshoku, get off my shoulder." Ira said, looking disturbingly calm.

He gave a step forward, and Shinji felt the ground shake beneath his feet with enough force to lift him a couple of inches off the ground. In one second, Gamagoori had turned from an eight foot tall giant into a colossus that had to kneel down because his back was pressed on the cafeteria's ceiling. And said cafeteria was as large as a cathedral.

But somehow no one seemed shocked by this, even Shinji somehow accepted it, and somewhere in her mind Maka just knew that the man would always be bigger than anyone.

Mako leapt off, pouting rather cutely at the bullies while Ryuuko casually dug her pinky in her ear, "What is it now, big guy? Are you going to scold us, put us in detention, what?"

Gamagoori narrowed his eyes, "Trust me, I desire nothing more but to see you molded into what every a true role model student should be, but there are matters I have to attend." He said as he picked Cardin with one hand, glaring at the teen, "It's a bad thing to fight, but it's an even worse thing to let others pick fights with people who don't want to fight. I'd commend you two for protecting a fellow student, but I know you were also in it for a chance to fight."

Just when his finger was lifted, Naruto lowered it, "I got nothing. You're right on that."

"Also…" the titan said, eying Mako briefly before turning to the group, "Mankanshoku speaks highly of you, Matoi. Do not let her praise be for naught or I will personally make sure of it."

"Of course I'd talk great about my bestie, Gamagoori, sir!" the brunette pumped her fist forward, "If you cheer for Lady Satsuki, then I will cheer for Ryuuko all the way!"

Gamagoori took those words with a competitive frown, and all four bullies under his right arm, "Oh? To claim your loyalty to a friend is that high. I'd praise it, were such a statement not a foolish one, Mankanshoku!" he put on a massive grin, "After all, you can't sell my loyalty for Lady Satsuki that cheap!"

The hamster-like girl stood her ground, "This Mankanshoku's determination and friendship aren't cheap either! They're the most valuable things Mako has! She believes greatly in Ryuuko to the point I'll face you and cheer for her with all my might to show you how much I believe in the Ryuuko Matoi that believes in Mako Mankanshoku!"

Gamagoori's grip on the bullies tightened, "My devotion to Lady Satsuki will shake, no, crush yours, Mankanshoku! I have followed her for years as her living shield! How can you hope to top that?!"

Mako puffed her cheeks, "I gave Ryuuko my bunny pajamas!"

Said girl flushed red, a hand slapped on her face. It didn't help that Naruto was busting a gut in laughter, inches from rolling on the ground. Shinji for his part had to shake his head from the cute picture in his mind. Maka, Ruby and Yang for their part tried to picture the feathery haired girl in such an outfit… It was like picturing a grown and furious in a pink tutu.

It gave the building sized man something to ponder, he even shrunk to his usual towering eight foot height, "Hmm… You win this round, Mankanshoku."

"Yay!" the girl jumped up, pumping her fists.

Velvet felt her right ear twitch, a nervous chuckle escaped her, "They're still the same, aren't they?"

"Wh- Details, please." Ryuuko told the bunny girl.

XXXXXX

Things had calmed down, only after Gamagoori telling everyone to get back to eating before heading to their respective sleeping bags for the night. Velvet sat at a table with the odd group of two dangerous sisters, a half-breed, a timid sniper, a banchou, and a girl that still had to hit puberty. They all got dinner and sat with the rabbit Faunus, waiting for her story.

"Gamagoori is the president of the school's Disciplinary Committee. It didn't take long for Mako to get on his nerves, and he has been trying to shape her into a model student ever since. He even helps her study and it's rare to see them apart." She blushed, fidgeting at what she was about to say next, "Don't tell anyone I said this, since this is gossip, but there's word those two may be closer than they look."

"If that's true the big guy's lucky to score with her." Naruto said, leaning back with his arms crossed and his eyebrows close to one another, "I mean, she's-"

Ryuuko cut him off, "Finish that sentence with something I don't like and it'll be my fist up your-"

Yang spoke next, "I'm sure this'll be a lovely conversation, but you two could work your differences like you did before." She grabbed her fork and grinned, "You know, food for thought…"

There was a pause after that pun. The silence was broken by Maka, "Anyway, Velvet, right?" said brunette nodded, "You're a student here. What's it like? And where's your team?"

"Hey…" Yang whispered, trying to see if anyone still remembered her pun from two seconds ago.

Velvet was surprised by the question, "Oh, well… Beacon is definitely nice, though I still don't do very well in battle at some points. It's just…"

"Scary?" Shinji dared to guess, after all that's what he thought, though he thought of that about nearly every situation he was in.

Velvet nodded, "But thanks to you two it's not so much anymore." She said with a small smile aimed at the blond and the brunet, making both boys flustered, "And no, I just… don't have much to do in fights at times. That's because of my team. Speaking of them, my leader, Coco, is probably busy shopping at Vale but she should be back soon. My other teammates must be training and won't be here until they're done. In fact, I just came here to get a snack."

"And you ran into Cardin and his goons." Ruby added.

Maka sighed, "Honestly, you're their senior. They shouldn't be able to pick on you like that."

Velvet looked away from the pigtailed lass, "It's not that easy… When it comes to people like them, they always are bigger in numbers."

There was silence. It was true what the girl said, bullies always found more strength to torment others in numbers.

Still, "It doesn't mean it's right." Shinji mumbled, "There's always people forcing others to fight or to get hit. I…" he blushed a bit and averted his gaze from the others, "I became a huntsman because… I don't want that to happen. I don't want people to fight when they don't want to, and I don't want them to be hurt for no reason… I… I probably sound really dumb, don't I?"

As he shrunk in his seat, Ryuuko grinned, "Hey, something as nice as that ain't going to be mocked by me. I'm not disrespecting that."

"Same here!" Ruby said, raising a hand up, "I know what it feels like, to want to be the hero and do all the cool things that happen in storybooks and…" she slowly stopped when she noticed she had hopped into the table and started to move her arms around excitedly, "Sorry."

Naruto snorted, "Heh, that's it?" He asked with a cocky grin.

Ryuuko glared at him, "What's your problem now, Whiskers?"

Naruto shrugged, "The fact they don't seem to dream big enough." He turned to the redhead and brunet, "Next time you say that you should say something like, _I'm going to be the greatest hero_ , or, _I will become a legend beyond any other_. Come on, if you're going to dream, dream big!"

It was Ryuuko's turn to snort, "That the cheesiest line you have?" she smirked, leaning back, "I know what I'm here for at least. I really don't need a big goal except what I want to find."

Maka sighed, "Will you two keep your egos in line for when you may actually have to fight?" she rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger, "If all things go well tomorrow, you will join this academy and you'll also have the chance to fight each other when it's time for sparring or training."

Yang saw her chance, "Or you can compete to see who's talking the talk but can't walk the walk."

Blue eyes locked, and before you could shout "Arm wrestling" the two had their hands clasped and were trying to wrestle the other's limb into submission.

Ryuuko grit her teeth as she felt every muscle in her arm cry in agony at the pressure, while Naruto had to fight back the urge to gasp when seeing her leaner arm managing to keep his locked in place.

"Whoa, no one's budging an inch…" a student said.

Naruto's free hand grabbed the table, making Ryuuko suck in a gasp of air when her hand started to reach the table's surface. She grabbed a hold of the table's edge too from her side, and soon the two were locked back where they started.

"Hey, twenty on the babe." A boy told his friends.

"Ten on the hunk." A Faunus girl nearly sang.

With a roar, Naruto slammed Ryuuko's hand into the table, shocking her… for a split second, "You may be stronger, but are you faster?!" she shouted, getting up and ready to run.

The blond leapt just as quickly off the table, "You bet I am!" Three laps around the cafeteria later and Naruto was proven wrong, until, "Can you outdo me at doing push-ups?"

Maka and Shinji sighed miserably, with Velvet pitying them but also marveling at what she saw, "Will they ever get tired?"

"I would be surprised if they did, actually." Said the pigtailed girl.

XXXXXX

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.

In a city currently going through White Fang protests news were going wild, "This is Koto Kitsu reporting live on the scene in New Whirlpool City! Founded a few years ago by groups refugees for the safety of Faunus that want to live away from battles, we've been going through a lot of White Fang protest movements lately due to the city's lack of Faunus citizens!"

Standing to attention as a live camera crew filmed her perky movements, a fox Faunus posed dramatically and talked in complete excitement through a microphone. She wore a white top with yellow lace around her arms and chest and a blue ribbon, sneakers with long stockings, a pink pair of very short shorts, and a few jewelry accessories over her body. Her figure captivated mostly male viewers with its hourglass shape while a brown furred fox tail wiggled. While violence echoed in the background, her bright green eyes glinted almost illuminating her messy reddish brown hair, and whiskers on her cheeks.

She eagerly begun bouncing up and down as she saw few White Fang members get into it with local law enforcement, "I'm reporting here live as a bunch of White Fangs start fighting with the local officers of the law. Will there be a lot of human and Faunus blood spilled to gain a few precious steps towards ultimate peace and unity, blagh! Who cares, just start fighting you goons! The people want blood and carnage!" She cheered happily, then looked perkily sadistic as she called out for blood shed.

Stepping past her and gently pushing her aside, a tall blond, dark skinned man walked towards the protestors. He had distinct muscles over his muscles, was in his late forties to early fifties, and was big enough to at least reach Gamagoori's chin. Clad in a white robe which he had opened he showed proudly a large belt with a golden buckle in the shape of a boar head. He finished his look with black slacks and enormous steel gauntlets that had to weight at least a good hundred pounds each. He easily moved them without effort.

"Hey, you better get out. I have to do my job here." He told them slowly, cracking his knuckles with a growing sneer. His face, adorned with a goatee and mustache, was scaring the White Fang soldiers, clad with their masks and uniforms.

"I-Isn't that…" one of them gulped.

"An old rival of mine asked me to protect this city …" the towering boar man said, "I normally would have said no, but that one bastard at least cared for these people. He cared enough to give his life for his son along his wife. He could have taken my brother's life in one occasion… And yet he didn't. I'm not one to like keeping promises, but with you around I can't afford to not care."

"Funny, I thought I was the only one that hated that fox." Said another man, with short spiky black hair, no shirt, gray camouflage pants, and a massive cleaver slung over his shoulder. While not as impressively bulky as the first, the fact he easily carried a sword that would have to wait half or as much as him was astounding. Not to mention half his face was hidden in bandages and he lacked eyebrows, giving him a somehow more intimidating air with how cold his gaze was.

The White Fang stepped back while the two men walked towards them.

A masked figure in a pink kimono sighed, putting a hand to their ear where a small communication device was, "Yes principal, there seems to be no trouble for them. We shall be back to Beacon to greet the new students with you."

In his office, Ozpin sighed tiredly, reaching for his mug of coffee only for Satsuki to hand it to him, "Thank you."

The fuzzy browed girl's face remained set on stoic, "About those four new additions. Rose, Uzumaki and Matoi seem to be the more promising, but Ikari…"

"Do you trust me on this, Satsuki?" the man asked calmly, sipping his coffee.

She didn't hesitate, "As much as I despise my mother." She closed her eyes and turned around.

"Where are you going?" he asked, but while trying to keep his cool there was a hint of worry in his voice, "Have you been summoned by Ragyo? If so, I could-"

She stopped him, "No, not yet at least… I shall take you on that offer later if it's needed. But I was about to see why you have such fate in perhaps the most questionable choice you've made in your life."

He chuckled mirthlessly, "You're spending too much time with Glynda."

She humored him, "Not as much as I wish I did. Have a good night, principal."

And he was left alone to ponder on what this game would bring sooner or later.

 **XXXXXX**

 **And that's my rap!**

 **You can see some big and not so big chances from this and the original version. I will keep doing my best here. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Anyway, the people at the city are Koto from Yu Yu Hakusho, the Raikage, Zabuza, and Haku. I bet few of you knew who the first one was, and if you say you did excuse me if I take it with some salt after I just gave the explanation of who she was here. And before you say anything, yes, I used her English dubbed version of a sadist because... why not?  
**

 **Swordslinger out!**


	4. Chapter 4

I OWN NOTHING

Given that I as a person can only try my best for every fic I make, I can only try and improve from here. Either that or find a healthy social life… Hah, as if!

 **XXXXXX**

Smells like rivalry

"Uh… Not to bother you, mostly considering we're in the shower, but don't you think you and Ryuuko went too far?"

Shinji felt a bit inadequate in the communal showers mainly because of his girly physique earning him some questionable glances. Thus he was bathing in a corner, flanked by the one guy that would be considered friendly. He had to admit he was surprised by the amount of battle scars on Naruto's body. Even with something as loose as a gi, he managed to keep many cut marks on his arms from claws and blades hidden.

The large contrast in height and muscle mass, with Naruto having the built of a dedicated fighter, also made the fourteen-year-old looking seventeen-year-old nervous. Naruto for his part didn't look too concerned, possibly because he had nothing to be embarrassed about when all he cared was to show he was the strongest. He also made it clear that if someone tried something funny, they'd be in for a painful evening.

When another Faunus tried to mess with Naruto for having mixed blood, he found his head in his locked after the blond punched it through.

Naruto, currently shampooing his messy hair, spoke up, "We're both butt-naked and you're worried about that? Ugh, let it go. I'm actually too tired to think about it."

"I'm amazed you decided to call it a draw." Shinji admitted as he rubbed the bar of soap over his shoulders.

"Feather-head's the lucky one. I just decided not to hurt her pride too much." He said with a cocky grin.

"Yeah…" Shinji said without any conviction, "Hey, it's awfully quiet…"

Sure enough the showers were empty since the others had already left, taking a quick shower and deciding to not look what the two boys had to offer to their future wives. "Just a quick question…" Naruto started, "I think people that come here know a thing or two about fighting, but are you really here just to be stronger?"

Shinji nodded, even if the blond couldn't see him, "I tend to tell myself that I can do something. I can do it, I can do it… It's a mantra. But I never do anything when I'm too scared. That is why I promised someone to… to actually act instead of thinking… Dumb, right?"

Naruto scoffed, "Hey, I ain't going to disrespect that. Whatever gave you that idea?"

Shinji blushed, "Oh, well… You're kind of blunt, too blunt. I guess I feared that added to a negative thought."

Naruto snorted, "Hah, if someone tells me I'm wrong or unable to do something, I'll just show them what I can do. You should try it."

The smaller boy nodded, and spoke again, "Are we really the only ones here?"

"Don't know, don't care. Anyways Shinji, you need to man up. You've got the training to make up for your shyness. Hell, I heard about your teacher, Misato is… someone Faunus really admire." Naruto said as he washed his hair out, his blond spiky locks dripping with shampoo and water.

Shinji looked down slightly, smiling halfway to himself before he replied, "Yeah… Misato-san is really someone to admire… She's… Strong."

"So I've heard." The blond said absentmindedly before making an admittedly awkward question, "Anyway… Do you like manga or anime?"

"I do." Shinji said, feeling a bit more at ease, "I'm mostly into Jojo's Bizarre Adventure now, though."

Naruto chuckled, "I'm more of a Hokuto no Ken fan myself."

The sound of his and Naruto's showerheads broke the silence. In the other room, some of the most muscular newcomers, each built like a brickhouse, walked away with a feeling of inadequacy around them.

Meanwhile…

"So, why did you agree to call it a draw?" Maka asked while she rubbed her bar of soap over her delicate looking but strong arms.

Ryuuko grumbled while shampooing her messy hair, "Are you going to lecture me? I just decided to throw Whiskers a bone, uh, no offense to any Faunus."

Velvet, who was busy taking soap off her ears, shook her head with a smile, "No problem, it's just a saying. And I think he's a fox, not a dog."

"I thought he was a cat… Eh, no matter. I was going to win, so I gave him a break." Ryuuko said with a cheeky smirk.

"Yeah…" Maka said, clearly not buying it, "Say, why are you here, Velvet? I thought you'd be at your room and in your own shower." She also tried not to look at the girl's impressive bust. Then again, Velvet and Ryuuko were gifted in ways that they were nothing to sneeze at. But even they paled when compared to someone nearby.

"Isn't it more fun to have a girl's shower out?" Yang said with a smirk.

Velvet blushed but did nod, "Yes. I probably won't see my teammates until very late, so… I'm sticking with you for the moment."

"You know, Maka…" Ruby started, "You have really pretty skin."

Said girl blushed, hanging her head low so her hair now out of its pigtails covered it, "H-Hey, don't tease me like that."

"No, I'm serious. It's perhaps as cute as Weiss's." the redhead admitted, "Uh…"

Yang patted her sister's shoulder, "She's trying to be nice, Maka. Excuse her if she says something dumb."

"Hey, you told me to make friends!" the tiny redhead complained, and then when facing Yang she noticed at what she was actually staring… and humbly faced the other way, away from those orbs.

Maka sighed tiredly, "Well, I think we made friends already with each other… somewhat…" she tried not to stare at her fellow blonde.

Said bombshell continued talking, "Well isn't that nice though? You should be happy that you have nice skin! I mean, just because I've got these, doesn't mean anything! I bet you you'll grow up just as nicely, I mean Ruby really admires your mom." Yang said in a truly friendly way as she patted Maka's shoulder, the girl blinking in surprise as Yang washed her hair out with a hum, her sister blushing in embarrassment.

"Y-Yang…" her sister squeaked, "C'mon, it's not like that."

"Of course it is! You really admire Kami Albarn, the Goddess of the Scythe! I've seen all of the tapes you have of her training and inspirational videos. Remember, I wanted to know everything about what you like! And man, she is strong. Not only the pioneer of the Battle Scythe as a weapon itself, she also invented every technique for it in the book! Life Hunt, Kishin Hunt, Dragon Hunt, Djinn Hunt, I mean wow. Talk about some insane overachieving." Yang's words made Ruby blush and Maka scratch her cheek with a fond smile.

"Yeah." The green eyed girl admitted, "Mom is really strong, I really admire that about her. Even my… uh, well… Even my father is really strong."

"I don't know who that one is." Yang said bluntly.

In turn Maka muttered halfway to herself, "That's because he's never tried to make a name for himself like mom did…"

"Would you rather have him like Whiskers?" Ryuuko asked with a grumble. "Talking all day about how great he's going to be? At least Shinji can be modest about what he does."

Velvet blushed a bit, "Well, human or Faunus, they're both…" she caught herself and quickly faced away from the others, "Uh, never mind me, please."

Yang was about to tease her, until getting elbowed by her sibling in the gut. Maka decided to ease the bunny girl's embarrassment, "They're not that bad. Sure, Naruto's loud and full of himself, and Shinji's very timid and meek, but they're not mean. And they at least stood up for you."

Velvet nodded again, feeling her cheeks redder. Ryuuko snorted, "Meh, to be honest I don't even care about any romantic stuff. It always goes into one ear and out of the other so I won't mind a thing you say about it, Velvet."

Ruby blushed, "Well, I do like a few romance stories, so I wouldn't mind talking about it."

Velvet pulled her ears down to cover her face, "Could we please not make it seem like I… I mean, they're younger than me… even if, well…"

Ryuuko shrugged, "Hey, I don't mind younger, innocent boys. Ugh, matter of fact, I wouldn't mind more innocent cute dorks like that spider guy from the comics… I'm tired of guys trying to be too macho."

"Speak for yourself." Yang giggled, "If a guy has to hold me, he better know how to handle the heat."

Velvet completely hid her face behind her ears, "Please, let's change subjects. I'm afraid of where this might go."

Once they removed the soap of their curvaceous bodies, each girl walked towards their pajamas with a towel around, or two in Yang's case. Velvet simply put on her uniform once again and bid her new friends farewell with a fond smile.

Finally, the group exited the showers fully dressed and ready for a good night's rest. Naruto and Shinji stared like deer in front of headlights at Ryuuko's orange pajamas with bunny head patterns, two of those over where her breasts were and one over her... Whoever made those pajamas was either really eccentric or somehow knew the curves that would go in it and made sure to show them off in a cute and alluring manner.

"What do we have here?" Yang asked with a smile as she leaned down to examine the blond and the brunet. Such an action gave them a view of her cleavage, much to their embarrassment, though the memory wouldn't leave their minds for years to come.

Shinji wore only a pair of blue sweatpants and a white top which showed how thin he was. Naruto had a set of blue pajamas with a long sleeved button-up shirt and pants. They found their eyes quickly drawn to Maka who was wearing a black gown with a pair of matching puffy shorts with frills. One would mentally remark how good her hair looked outside of its usual pigtails, though also noting she looked good in them.

"What is it? Did I miss a spot when brushing my teeth?" Shinji asked with a hand over his mouth.

Yang winked at them, "No, it's just that you two aren't that bad looking."

That got the two boys to blush, which Ryuuko smirked at, "Knew you were no lady killer, Whiskers."

The glaring contest returned with a vengeance, "I at least don't smell like cheap hair dye."

"Oohhh…" went the other girls.

Ryuuko was right in front of him, glaring daggers at his smirking face, "You got three seconds to take that back."

Their eyes glinted with desire for battle, "Make me."

And their smiles said there'd be blood flying… had it not been for Maka, "Ok you two, break it up." She said while grabbing their ears, pulling the taller teens down with a motherly stern look on her face.

"Hey, let go!" Naruto cried, with a tear threatening to come out of his right eye.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Hey, stop it!" Ryuuko shouted, closing one eye tightly to avoid crying.

"Will you behave like the responsible monster hunters you should be?" Maka asked, using a tone that'd make any good mother proud.

"Yes, just let go of my ear!" Ryuuko exclaimed.

"I promise, ok?!" Naruto yelped.

Once she let them go, the two rubbed their sore ears while glaring at the other, "You're my hero." Shinji told the pigtailed girl, more than awed at how easy she could handle the loud hot-heads.

The blond and the feather-head turned around, the former speaking, "Crybaby."

She grinned and spoke just at the same time he did, "Whipped."

And at that instant, in perfect unison, they turned to glare at each other, "What did you call me?!" the echo from their foreheads smashing together made the principal nearly drop his coffee.

XXXXXX

In the middle of a soothing midnight stroll, the coffee loving man could only stare at the figures of the students fighting, and he had to stare when somehow the two hot heads smashed their foreheads without pain. It was like two rams collided against each other, locking horns for a duel. He had only the most eloquent of comments for that:

"Oh dear." He said, far too dully for Glynda's liking.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" the blonde witch-like woman asked coldly.

The man took a sip of his favorite hot beverage, "Like parent, like child." He said cryptically.

Glynda felt the urge to slap the man at the top of his head whenever he said something like that, so she settled for sighing and readying herself to clean whatever mess could happen. It was almost like her Semblance were to fix whatever mess Ozpin's choice for guardians brought. If he expected her to wear a maid outfit, she wouldn't lose her mind, she would break the ashy haired man in more ways than one.

"Let's end this once and for all!" Naruto declared charging at the drifter girl.

"We finally agree on something!" Was Ryuuko's retort as she rushed right at him.

His right fist slammed against her left foot, their pajamas flapping madly from the shockwave of the strike that sent them both back, skidding to a halt. Ryuuko grinned with pure battle lust and rubbed her nose with her thumb as she took a more laidback stance. Naruto for his part grabbed the nearest pillows and spun them in his hands, flipping them in his fingers like disks.

He threw them like Frisbees at his opponent, who ran right at the projectiles, swatting one out of her way and kicking the other right back at Naruto. He backhanded the projectile and let her get close just as she jumped to try to introduce her knee to his face. He managed to bring his arms up in a cross to absorb the strike while all around them the students cheered.

Ryuuko decided to taunt him, "It seems you take punishment well when it comes to girls."

Naruto chuckled back, "Funny, I didn't think you'd know what a girl is like."

Some girls booed and some boys cheered for his quip, and others were indifferent, "Oh, it's on!" Ryuuko said with her grin splitting her face.

"Don't talk, just do it, sister!" Naruto replied with a matching expression.

"Do you think you can stop them?" Yang asked the petite blonde.

Maka was currently massaging the bridge of her nose with one hand which covered her face, trying to calm the incoming migraine, "I would need my weapon first."

Ruby remembered something, "Hey, now that I think about it…" she pulled out a bottle of Dust with a familiar snowflake symbol on it, "I got to give this back to Weiss, but… I think she wouldn't mind if we used a bit to stop them."

Shinji examined the bottle, "Can I have that?" he stared at the Dust on it, humming briefly and looked around for something before looking at the girls, "I… I can do… something… I'll need your hairbands, Maka. Ruby, do you have paper? And Yang… could you stand between them and me? I… won't like what will happen."

Back in the fight…

"Hey Whiskers, ever played Street Fighter?!" Ryuuko asked as she ducked over one of his hooks and squatted on the ground, a fist ready for an upper-cut, "SHORYUKEN!"

Naruto once again took the blow, this time placing one hand over the other and letting his palms take the impact, which sent him flying but at least managed to get his chin away from her knuckles. Upon landing, the blond scoffed and lifted a hand at her, making a "bring it" motion to the red locked girl. She charged right at him.

"I liked other games like King of Fighters!" he said while avoiding one of her kicks to his head, rearing back a fist and most of his body as he shouted, "Are you ok?!" in a bad American accent.

Ryuuko watched a large amount of power swirl around his fist and side-stepped the strike with barely enough time to get away from the punch. She watched wind ripple around where the knuckles would have connected with her body, and stared in awe as a shockwave left them like an explosion.

She slapped aside the punch and got in her own stance while he took a more serious one, "That punch… You know this is serious now, huh?" she said that, but her face said she was enjoying this more than she should be.

"If you can match my strikes, then it is." He said, wanting to give this fight the finally it needed and-

Out of instinct, both fighters dashed away from each other when a paper pellet flew between them and exploded. "Nice shot!" Ruby squeaked when seeing the petit boy's aim. He had the hairband between his index finger and thumb, like a slingshot, and Yang was done pouring more red Dust on the slip of paper Ruby got from a black haired girl with a bow.

He readied another pellet and shot it at the ceiling where a sprinkler was, nailing it right in the center. Everyone gasped and started running as the water started to fall down, soaking the place completely and leaving a very cooled down Naruto in front of a very wet Ryuuko.

"Well, my mood's gone." Naruto admitted with a shrug.

Ryuuko sighed, "Yeah, talk about a party-pooper… Can't blame him, though. I was about to kick your ass."

"Oh for goodness' sake!" Maka finally snapped and got in the flooding room, ignoring the water drenching her as she grabbed a book, "Maka… CHOP!"

Both fighters were down and out, "Ok, she scares me now." Yang admitted with a weak chuckle.

"What's your problem?!" Naruto asked the blonde girl, rubbing the sore spot on his head… and trying to keep his eyes on her face. The water was making her clothes cling too much to her body… too much.

"I tried to get you two to stop fighting, and you even promised to behave, but then you instantly started to throw punches at each other, what did you expect?" she had pulled their ears like a stern mother, after all.

Naruto felt ashamed, partly because of what she said… and mostly because her figure wasn't that bad at all.

"Is there a problem? We heard the commotion, and Yui was worried more than usual." Walking in wearing her usual outfit was Glynda Goodwitch, the beautiful blonde huntress standing next to Yui Ikari who had her hands on her hips.

Looking annoyed, but cowed when the blonde woman's baleful gaze silenced his protests, Naruto bowed his head and backed away from Maka. Said petite blonde graciously accepted a burst of heat that dried her clothing but made it wrinkle a little from the sudden heat wave. Brushing out the kinks in her hair, the petite girl smiled gratefully at Glynda who responded with a calm nod.

Yui on the other hand… "Oh Shin-chan, you're always so manly when you show your confidence! If only you would give me a nice bunch of grand-kids to spoil! Asuka and Rei-chan would be more than willing!"

"Mom!" the boy's face was a cherry.

Ryuuko arched a brow, "Wait, Rei and Asuka? Who are those?"

Yui smiled, "Some friends of Shinji who…" her thoughts halted when she saw the girl in wet bunny pajamas, and quickly covered her son's eyes, "Oh, I think you should see Glynda first."

The red-streaked girl arched a brow, but looked at where Yui's eyes were, and instantly put her arms around her figure, "D-Damn it, sorry, the water's cold and-" and a wave of heat dried her off, ruffling her hair more than usual.

Glynda had her riding crop ready and the stare that said the back of one's hand would be in pain because of it, "I should expel you two." She said, casually drying Naruto too while her voice seemed to freeze everything, "However, that wouldn't be enough punishment. No, what I am going to do is let you go through the trials that wait for you tomorrow, and if that doesn't kill you and you two get in this academy… I will make my punishment known when you're students under my rules."

And with a turn of her heel and her cape flowing, the woman left but not without turning off the sprinklers and making the water return to them with a casual flick of her riding crop.

"She scares me…" Shinji stated while his heart tried to get back to beating after the woman's words halted its movements.

"This still isn't over, though." Ryuuko said, locking glares with Naruto.

"Far from it." the blond said.

Maka pinched the bridge of her nose yet again, resisting the urge to use her Maka Chop once again, and then inspiration hit her, "Why don't you two make a competition about who the better hunter is to settle this?" she finally asked, "Since I don't think another of my Maka Chops will do the job in getting the message across your thick skulls to stop fighting, let's do it your way. The one who kills the most Grimm tomorrow is the best."

"But-" they tried to argue, but the sight of her heavy book resting in her hand silenced them, "Uh, what say you, Whiskers?" Ryuuko really didn't want to have good literature engraved in her head in the literal way.

Naruto also found himself disliking the idea of getting to know what kind of books Maka liked, "Fine. But you better get ready to count, because I plan on killing those bastards by the hundreds."

Ryuuko smirked, puffing up her impressive chest and making Maka look away with a blush, "Hundreds? Hah! I'll take them out by the thousands!"

"Then I'll beat them by the millions!"

"Then they'll die by the billions by my blades!"

"I'll crush trillions with my bare fists!"

"I'll-"

"Enough!" Maka said, putting a hand over each of their mouths before grabbing Naruto by his collar and dragging him away from Ryuuko, "You, there!" she said, putting the blond on his sleeping back before sitting at his side, "Me, here!" she then turned to Shinji, beckoning him to be at her other side, "Shinji, here." And then she aimed a finger at the red-locked girl, "You, over there." She said, telling the other girl to be at Shinji's side.

The most sensible member of the quartet finally spoke, "Maka, what're you-"

"Good night." She said, letting herself fall flat on her back with a pout.

The others and the students outside watched it all, and shrugged before deciding to get some sleep.

Shinji was about to do the same, watching his mother leaving after she waved at him with a smile, if not for, "You!"

"Oh God!" the boy froze when Weiss was right in front of him in her own pajamas, pulling him up by his collar.

"What do you think you're doing with this?!" she asked, pulling a familiar bottle of red Dust, "Did you think I wouldn't notice you using it while the fight was going on?! Have you any idea how much trouble I'd be in because someone decided to illegally appropriate one of these?! You-"

And Weiss grew silent when Maka got up, grabbed her by the shoulders with a glare that could have scared a demon, and set the albino on her bed, "Good night." The blonde said before going back to her sleeping bag for some much needed sleep.

Yang watched it all, shrugging, "I don't have a witty pun for that, it's just funny."

XXXXXX

"Wake up, lazy butt!"

Ryuuko grumbled, trying to cover her face with her pillow while some hyperactive girl was chanting something to some poor guy.

Now, she's always been a heavy sleeper. No matter what came be it quake or trouble, she'd sleep through it unless it were an enemy's attack, or her senses telling her of perverts spying on women. Normally the one being stared at was her, just like how Naruto was doing. Well, not quite like how he was doing. There was no lust on his face, just mischief even as his snickers stopped when seeing her wake up.

And she noticed something else, "Is that a brush?" It was a brush the kind Japanese people used in times of old, and the tip was aimed at her… face…

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed, leaping back a good twenty yards away from the red-streaked girl.

Maka finally woke up with a light, adorable yawn, and nearly did a spit-take when seeing Ryuuko's face, "What happened to you?!"

With a growl, the feather-haired girl went to a window to check herself. The blond didn't stand as low as to draw curly mustaches or cartoonish artwork. Instead, he somehow managed to paint Ryuuko's face with such delicacy she now looked like a kabuki. Red streaks covered her face, her eyes were surrounded by black paint making her look like she were scowling, and somehow the blond even managed to cover the rest of her face in white paint.

From his spot, now hanging on the ceiling, Naruto laughed out loud, "I like your makeup!"

Nearly every vein in Ryuuko's face pulsed through her skin, threatening to pop, "He's dead." She said in a cold tone while walking to the blond.

Shinji walked up to her, grabbing her by her shoulders and trying to push her back. He should have known what he was trying to do, maybe he wouldn't have been surprised when he felt his feet sliding backwards while Ryuuko walked like he weren't even there.

Maka was mad too, "Why do you keep acting like a spoiled brat?" she asked the older boy with stern green eyes, her arms folded under her small breasts.

"I'm a spoiled brat?" Naruto asked with cockiness plastered all over his face, "Nah, I'm just letting my inner child have fun. You could try it too. Besides, this is a warning." He pointed at Ryuuko, "Don't let your guard down, because you and I have a score to set-" and before he could think of how to settle the score, Maka interrupted him.

She did so by throwing one of her books at the blond, who yelped when seeing it spinning right at his face. He managed to bend his body to the side so his face didn't get sunken in, and watched the heavy tome spin around in the air and somehow, kicking Isaac Newton's good work on the field of physics, return. Maka caught her book-boomerang and held it up threateningly.

"This is war, Whiskers!" Ryuuko yelled at him.

Shinji sighed and took off his top, using it to wipe her face while showing his rather frail looking flame, "This isn't going to stop any time soon, is it?" he asked tiredly before pulling back, the dark haired girl grumbling a bit but now with a clean face, "Just try to hold it in until you two can actually compete, please."

Ryuuko grumbled and looked away, Shinji had ruined his shirt to help and stop her, so she decided to be nice, "Fine, but when it's our turn to fight, I'm not holding anything back."

Naruto smirked from his perch, "Looking forward to it."

Shinji placed his palm on his face, "Why am I even trying?" Maka sympathetically patted his shoulder as everyone got ready.

A quick breakfast later, everyone was in the locker room getting ready for the big event.

Maka found the weight of her scythe to be a comfort after everything that happened, she unfolded it and twirled it in her fingers as if to feel reassured that it'd all be al right. With that happy thought she put it back in its briefcase form and slung it on her shoulder. However, she also picked a small picture out of it, showing her surrounded by a group of colorful and very odd students around her age.

"Ok, time to see how much worth what I've learned is." She told herself, moving forward and pocketing the picture.

Shinji for his part checked his knife, no rust on the blade and the edge was sharp enough to get him through the day. After that he quickly disassembled his rifle, checking every nook and cranny in it before reassembling it in a snap second. Happy with that, he examined each of the Dust bullets on his bandolier before, with a trembling sigh, putting on his cloak.

"I can do it, can't I?" he asked himself, trying to smile but failing miserably.

Naruto for his part just tightened the bandages around his hands, smirking as he put on his outfit. To check his equipment the blond threw a kick skywards, watching his knee go up and nearly touch his forehead before slamming his foot down, shaking the ground a bit. A series of quick jabs from his left and a devastating right hook made him feel at ease.

"This is what I'm made of, my own strength and blood!" he cheered for himself.

Ryuuko grinned as she popped open her case, watching red scissors-like swords in it. Like the scissors a tailor would use, the handles were curved and came with a hand guard, but unlike a normal pair of scissors these could cut anyone in half, or if not that then whoever was unlucky enough to get in her way would have a nasty scar for life. Her smile was a truly hot-blooded one as she twirled them by the handles.

"Time to find some answers." She chuckled, "This should be fun."

As they made their way, they didn't know who was watching their moves in her own little office, an empty classroom that served as a meeting room for this small group of people.

"Lady Satsuki, I fail to see how those troublemakers could have made it into this academy." Gamagoori told the young woman, kneeling to her.

"But Ryuuko-chan's strong and a nice girl if you get to know her, sir!" As always, Mako seemed to be perched on his shoulder like a parrot.

Satsuki, currently at the front table which was turned around to look at the two before her, nodded, "Both of you have some credit. However, Mankanshoku, good will won't blind us to the actions of your friends or the others. I'm afraid that, as Albarn has already figured out, both Matoi and Uzumaki need more drastic measures to behave as proper hunters."

Off to the side, sitting on his usual seat with a bored look, Uzu spoke up, "Matoi is targeting your life, Lady Satsuki. How can you be so nonchalant about it?"

The young woman sighed, "I know it seems careless of me, and at times I doubt my own actions on this subject, but I do believe Matoi may be of use, Sanageyama."

"Then how about if I check them out?"

Sanageyama yelped, for he barely registered someone popping up behind him. The figure was very effeminate, and currently wearing a sleeveless pink kimono with a blank white mask. Their dark hair was tied in a bun, and bangs framed the mask they wore. It was because of those reasons that telling the entity's gender was a risky bet.

Satsuki hummed, "I understand Uzumaki has some of the same training as you, Haku. Are you really interested in carrying out this mission, or are you curious?"

Haku chuckled, "A bit of both, young lady." The figure took off their mask, showing an extremely girly face that could still be considered that of a boy's. Whatever Haku was, it was clear the masked one was even more effeminate than even Shinji. Thus, many boys and girls started to question their sexuality when seeing Haku.

Satsuki couldn't care less, "Will this actually prevent a completely satisfying result, or is it a milestone to overcome?"

Haku smiled, "I'd put my money on the second. After all, I've learned enough from my sensei. Even if this Uzumaki boy had techniques I may envy, I'm more comfortable with what I know."

Satsuki nodded, "I see. Well then, you're free to go. But do me a favor." She stood up and fished a letter from her pocket, "Matoi and Uzumaki have been declared too dangerous to be together. They'd cause more harm as a group. They need to learn of proper teamwork, so until that time comes I would like you to make sure they meet other partners."

Haku's smile widened, "It shouldn't be a problem at all, my lady."

In a blur of speed, Haku was gone, leaving Sanageyama whistling, "I'd still like to know how he does it."

Mako blinked, "Haku-chan's a boy?"

Ira arched a brow, "Sanageyama, is the term you used appropriate to refer to Haku or are you just guessing?"

The green haired lad shrugged, "Hey, how am I supposed to know? I just said the first thing that came to mind. Why do you have to be so judgmental?"

Mako raised her hand, "Because Mako bet Gamagoori that if Haku-chan's a girl he'd have to buy her breakfast, lunch and dinner for an entire year."

Ira nodded with a stern gaze, "And if I were to be correct on calling Haku a male, Mankanshoku would have to cook lunch for me for an entire… week."

Uzu stared blankly, "You do realize how one-sided that is, right?" he asked, feeling some pity for the giant.

He turned to Satsuki for support, but she was happily sipping some tea, "Let them be, Sanageyama, that's something for them to find out."

Uzu tilted his head, "Wait, aren't you the school president, Lady Satsuki? Don't you know Haku's gender?"

Satsuki stood up, "I have matters to attend to. I wish you all a nice day."

They stared at the empty space in which she once sat, Mako speaking next, "I guess that's a no."

 **XXXXXX**

 **And that's my rap!**

 **Next chapter our hot-blooded duo will finally try to settle the score while danger looms around them and their future teammates. Then again, you probably expected that, but you probably don't expect what I have planned for the next chapter. If you do, give yourself a cookie.**

 **Swordslinger out!** **  
**


	5. Chapter 5

I OWN NOTHING

As time passes on, I will continue to try to improve myself as a person… or I can just stuff myself with chocolates until my blood type is chocolate syrup with nuts!

 **XXXXXX**

Reckless but strong

A certain masked, pink kimono clad figure rested at the top of a large tree, four figures of interest flew over the vegetation of the forest for a rough landing. All four of them were the ones that needed a closer inspection given their backgrounds, though in all honesty it was the two hot-blooded ones.

Watching them move in the air from the comfortable perch at the top branch of the tree, Haku observed Maka flip her scythe in her hands. The foldable weapon twisted and turned until its two blades spread like wings and the pigtailed prodigy sat on the pole like a little witch from a fairy tale. Haku briefly wondered if anyone would get a glimpse of her panties but decided not to ask.

She could handle herself, though, for the moment her descent had been slowed she had started walking forward with her scythe back in its simple and easy to carry form of a suitcase. The tiny blonde gave the forest a simple glance before walking to where the artifacts she'd have to collect were, almost like she knew. But something interesting happened, for a brief moment it was like the girl had looked eyes with Haku.

"This will be easy." She said with a confident grin.

Shinji for his part made his best imitation of a screaming Chihuahua while flailing his arms, his gray cloak flapping in the air like a cape. Haku pondered helping the boy, perhaps feeling a connection with how the brunet was so girly he was nearly androgynous, but Shinji acted. With as much bravery as he could muster, and his survival instinct kicking in, Shinji took a special red Dust bullet and fired it at the ground.

A powerful explosion of fire and force cancelled some of the boy's momentum, leaving a smoking crater on the ground and launching him up a few feet. Shinji still had no further control over his fall, but managed to land on his feet with a hard thud and gritted teeth. Haku watched the boy stumble out of the crater on shaky legs after the landing, but he was shaking off the shockwaves of pain.

"Ok… that hurt, but I'm alive…" Shinji mumbled to himself.

Cheering gave away who was coming next. Naruto had a large smile on his face for he didn't ponder how to stop his fall, he was simply diving nose first into the ground. This would have worried Haku had the foxy half-Faunus not loosened the bandages on his arms. With a flick of his wrists, he wrapped the bandages on some nearby tree branches and swung up, landing on top of a tree in a pose that resulted familiar to Haku.

"Alright, where to find the most Grimm?" he asked while shifting his eyes.

Once he was done adjusting his bandages the foxy future hunter leapt from tree to tree with the intent to kick some ass and outdo Ryuuko, speaking of her…

The scissor wielder wasn't one for strategies, and so she simply landed on her feet. Haku would have started biting even Gamagoori's nails to calm down, but to see Ryuuko simply stand up after her feet caused a crater even bigger than the one Shinji landed on was stunning. Even more stunning was that she easily got up and walked forward with her odd blue eyes looking for prey.

"Thanks, Senketsu…" she told her glove, making Haku's head tilt at the action, and the masked ninja's eyes widened slightly when she let out a brief laugh, "Hey, you worried too much. I'm fine, aren't I? Besides, I had to land faster unless you want that whiskered jackass to get ahead of u-"

"Derya!"

The sound of a tree snapping in half before falling down said who was getting the advantage in the bet, if the unmistakable cheerful voice was anything to go by. Ryuuko took her time to curse with a brief, "Shit!" and then ran off to try and find Grimm of her own to kill.

Maka turned her head around at the sound of a tree falling, and yelped in fear and shock when a large Beowulf was sent flying at her, "What the-" the large werewolf-like monster noticed her and moved its body to grab her scythe. Maka nearly fell but gripped the pole and moved her body away from the humanoid monster making wild swipes at her.

"Urya!" this time the loud cry was accompanied with an Ursa flying at her, with the bear monster staring at her with hungry eyes.

The pigtailed girl glare at it, simultaneously kicking the Beowulf on the face to stop it from biting her head off, "Hey, get your own flying jet scythe!" she shouted at it, but was unable to do much when the Ursa grabbed on to the Beowulf, which in turn tried to grab on to Maka for support.

Its claw landed on her right breast, and then, curiously, the masked monster patted it. It tried to fondle it, but there wasn't much mass, which made the two monsters turn to each other curiously.

Haku's jaw fell, "Oh my…"

"Ok, I'm not mad…" Maka started with her bangs shadowing her eyes, and that was when the monsters knew they were in trouble, freezing at the venom in her voice, "I'm still growing, so I'll send you to Hell!" she shouted the last part, standing on both hands over the still flying scythe, and yanking it off the monster's grip.

Haku watched how graceful she was twirling her large weapon around her body as it morphed back into a normal two-bladed scythe. In one swift slash she sliced both monsters in two, cutting through them diagonally. She started to fall down, but managed to slow her fall into a soft landing with her scythe's jet engine.

The shadowy look on her face made the masked ninja hum in thought, "If she's going after the one that caused that little incident… I can't believe I made that pun." The main idea remained, if Maka found the one responsible for her breast size being questioned by monsters, chances are Naruto and Ryuuko wouldn't kill themselves, granted that the petite blonde didn't hold a grudge on the bigger blond.

"Help!" that cry of fear was unmistakably Shinji, whose luck left him at the mercy of a large pack of more anthropomorphic wolves, with a clear leader given the elder Beowulf's spikes and far larger size.

But even if he was crying for help, the petit boy was dodging the claw swipes of the far larger monster like a pro. He ducked under one, stepped away from a second Beowulf, and had his rifle ready. With a hasty shot, he got one in the shoulder, stunning it. As the Beowulf staggered back, the brunet shot a more precise projectile on the monster's forehead, killing it instantly.

With a yelp, he brought out his knife to keep a claw from reaching his neck, finding himself easily overpowered. Not a surprise given the leader of the pack was trying to take revenge for its fallen brother. With a grunt, Shinji singlehandedly aimed his rifle at the monster's chest. One, two, three, and finally four bullets hit it square in the chest, destroying its heart. Breathing deeply, he loaded a bullet from his bandolier.

He took aim, grit his teeth, and made a quick prayer that he wouldn't die a painful death if this backfired. Much to his relief and surprise, a red and black black blur zipped past him, slicing off all of the monsters' heads. He was about to question his luck, call out to his savior, and get some gratitude out of his system, but felt a hot breath over his head. Turning around, flinching, he found a large Ursa.

A quick claw swipe made his instincts kick in, and soon Shinji threw himself face first on the floor, "Oh come on, why me?!" the brunet asked, gripping his rifle and ready to kill the creature. Orange, the color blurred swiftly over him, but he heard a thunderous crack when a fist met the large bear monster's skull.

Naruto grabbed the bear by the muzzle and shifted its weight over his shoulder, throwing it against two more behind him. The two other Ursa fell down, but were still ready to fight. They would have clawed through the remains of their dead brethren, but the sound of air being sliced was the last thing they heard before their torsos were split in half.

Shinji got up and saw Maka and Naruto staring at one another, the blond pointing at the petite girl, "Ok, if you're my partner, that means I can still add those two to my kill count."

"In your dreams!" Ryuuko shouted, standing beside a now surprised Shinji, "Those two are hers, and I've already got a good twenty Grimm down."

Naruto threw her a cocky grin, "I've got twenty three!"

The feather haired girl tried to glare hard enough to make him burn, "No way am I letting you get ahead, Whiskers! It's a long day, and I'm still faster, just wait and see the numbers grow!"

"Same to you!" he returned the glare, at least until Maka grabbed him by the ear, "Ow, ow, ow! What now?!"

The green eyed girl pulled him to eye level, and he winced both from his pained ear and her angry expression, "We're trapped in a forest infested with monsters, if you two don't get your act together and start fighting together instead of against each other, I will use a bigger book for my next Maka Chop!"

Ryuuko winced now, subconsciously putting a hand over her head, "Dammit, don't remind me of that… Actually, what do you even do with books that thick? What kind of monster reads those?"

Maka puffed her cheeks in a cute pouty glare, "H-Hey, those are perfect for long trips!"

Shinji stepped in, "Hey, we're making a lot of noise, and I nearly got eaten twice." he reached into his pocket, fishing out a grenade fire Dust cartridge for his gun, "I can't fight much longer if we keep fighting like-"

" _ **GRWAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!**_ "

All four whirled around when they saw a beast emerge from the forest depths, a Grimm that could only be described as something as unwieldy yet dangerous, easily towering over them like a house.

It was a massive gorilla like Grimm, with huge bone encrusted fists and shoulders that had massive spikes jutting from them. Its head was covered in a bone helmet that resembled a cartoonish Viking helmet, its only opening between the two holes for its burning red eyes. With a body built on a bipedal design, two trunk like legs that lifted its incredible bulk with ease, it had its fists up in a boxer's stance when it saw them.

"A Silverback, I thought they didn't travel alone…" Maka muttered to herself with a wary gaze. Without another word, everyone got ready. Maka twirled her scythe and held it above her head, Ryuuko brandished her scissor-blades at her sides, Shinji took careful aim at the Grimm's head, and Naruto jumped on his toes while putting up his fists.

"Hey Whiskers! Double points to the one who gets it first!" Ryuuko shouted, charging first.

Shinji tried to reach her, but was too late, "Wait, we should run!"

"Then go ahead!" Naruto shouted while dashing behind the red-locked girl.

"Aim for the neck!" Maka said, running behind the blond.

"Dammit!" Shinji cursed, firing at the large monster. The Silverback gave a loud roar and charged at the team on all fours, closing the distance even faster.

It threw its first punch, trying to get all three charging kids at once. Ryuuko grinned and jumped over the arm, nailing her blades on it like it were hot butter. The Silverback howled in pain and tried to swat away the girl, but Ryuuko remained glued to its massive limb with a wild grin. Naruto jumped at the trashing arm and kicked it, spinning his body around to firmly plant his sole on the wrist, cracking some bones.

With yet another scream of pain, the Silverback held its broken wrist with its other hand, giving Ryuuko enough time to run up to its shoulder, near its neck. She had been about to cut into it, but underestimated the Grimm. Feeling the girl about to reach for its vital spot, the large monster let go of its pained wrist and tried to squash her with its still working hand. The drifter grit her teeth as the hand neared, but it didn't.

"Don't get so reckless!" Maka shouted, flying over Ryuuko with her scythe's jet engine.

There was another scream as the Silverback lost the hand it tried to crush Ryuuko with, opening its maw to reveal large baboon-like fangs. Due to how its whole body was shaking from the pain and anger, both girls jumped back to avoid getting hit, Maka swiftly flying by Ryuuko and letting her get on her scythe. The red-locked teen held on to the pigtailed girl while she flew to safety away from the Silverback.

"Just gotta find an opening…" Naruto said while the monster set down its broken hand and roared at them, ready to strike them no matter what and make them pay.

But the roar ended soon with a flash of lightning, and the Silverback fell down, landing hard on its face while its body started to disintegrate.

Naruto turned back and saw, stunned, how Shinji breathed a sigh of relief while lowering his rifle, "Can we please leave?" he pleaded again, sounding panicked even after what he did. The young boy pulled out an empty shell from his rifle and loading another in the separate chamber.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." Ryuuko grumbled, flicking her red lock of hair as she turned to Maka, "So, where to now, captain?"

"I had a clear view of a clearing a couple miles away." The pigtailed girl said simply, "If you two stop fighting, it shouldn't take us long to find these relics."

There was a threat laced in her words, or perhaps in the way she gripped her Jet Scythe, but the two hot-headed warriors nodded.

Soon the quartet was walking forward while Ryuuko fished out her scroll, put on some earphones, and started listening to one of her favorite songs from Pink Floyd. As she whispered the words Crazy Diamond Shinji immediately stood behind the group and walked close to them, his head twitching back every few seconds to check no Grimm ambushed them. Naruto just followed Maka with his hands behind his head.

"So… those gorillas hunt in packs?" he asked with a grin.

Maka turned to her fellow blond with a shocked look, "Please don't tell me what I think you're about to say." His grin widened, so she exclaimed, "Don't even think about it! One thing is proving that you're strong, then there's biting more than you can chew!"

"I won't know until I try, Bunny-girl." He said with a smirk, patting her head.

She growled, hating the nickname already. Sure, her pigtails did look like bunny ears and she was small and cuddly, but to see him act so cocky about it ticked her off, "I know you can do more than what you've shown, but you're my partner now. Don't think I want to see you die for trying to show off."

Naruto's right corner of his mouth went up as he rubbed her head more, "Heh, all I gotta do is find an opening or make one whenever I get in a fight."

She grabbed and moved his hand away, "I may be younger than you, but that doesn't give you the right to treat me like a child."

Chuckling, he spoke back, "Come on, you're so soft and cuddly it'd be like petting Velvet, but without the whole racism thing about what animal species we are."

"C-Come to think of it…" Shinji said, trying to avoid a fight, "You don't really look like any other Faunus, except for the marks on your face you look very human."

Ryuuko shrugged, "Ain't it obvious? He's an ass."

Maka sighed, knowing it'd be a long trip when the red-streaked girl and whiskered Faunus locked horns, almost quite literally when both smashed their foreheads together.

XXXXXX

Ozpin sighed, knowing he'd have a lot of things to do and that with a lot of time in his hands he should get them done before they could really stress him. Glynda, as always, had to clean up everything students and teachers broke. However, the blonde woman did have a limit to what she could and would do when it came to dealing with property damage, and she'd never take responsibility for the two before the principal.

"So… that fox bastard's son is here?" asked the man with no eyebrows.

"Heh, that punk better not have raised a runt." The towering blond with large gauntlets said.

"A, Zabuza, while I'm surprised you'd keep your rivalry with Naruto's father even after all this time has passed, that's not what I called you here for." He pulled put a piece of paper, "We want to settle things peacefully with the White Fang, not to give them reasons to hate us. Destroying five buildings on the assumption that sightings of their members could mean those were headquarters is not the right way."

"Even if you do have proof." Glynda said, having her riding crop ready and making both overly muscular men stiffen, "You did find clues, but the media and the White Fang themselves can make that destruction look like an act of loose cannons, which you don't really help us deny."

"On my defense, that asshole with the flamethrower shouldn't have stood so close to the support beam." Zabuza said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, besides, that red-haired prick of Adam was there." A replied, "He brought an accomplice of his to ruin our day and the little shit just enjoyed thinking he was high and mighty because of his heritage."

"He copied my moves as if to spite me." Zabuza growled, "However, we managed to kick his teeth in and make both him and Adam retreat. That dickless wannabe could have copied my moves, but he did none of the training to truly master them. Same with A, he copied his punches but when it came to experience and strength, he couldn't beat the real deal."

"Do you have a name?" Ozpin asked, curious.

"None." A replied, growling, "He even had his face covered behind a mask but seemed to be anything but a Faunus."

"Do you have anything that could help us understand what kind of human would work with the White Fang?" Glynda asked, "Height, hair, eyes, anything, even the shape of their hands."

A hummed for a bit, "Well, whoever this pain in the ass was had pale skin and pretty hands. Like those of a princess. It could mean they're so good they never hurt a single nail or just take too much care of their hands."

"Or both." Zabuza said with a shrug before getting serious, "But the matter at hand is that whoever this non-Faunus is recognized some of our moves and mentioned we'd be good practice before hunting."

"Hunters, huh?" Ozpin arched a brow, "But your fighting styles are meant for hunters to use, even if you take inspiration from fighting some of the worst Grimm out there."

"Exactly." Zabuza said, "Whoever this one is, I'm willing to be money that it's a hunt of hunters they're after, hunters like us."

A nodded, "Which is why you should let us see that blond bastard's son and see what he's got."

Glynda's crop smacked the table with such force both men cringed, "Are you trying to justify training the son of the man that made a fool of yourselves because of the kindness of your hearts… or a vendetta?"

Zabuza shrugged again, "Can it be both?"

Ozpin ignored whatever Glynda would do to them and focused on two other figures and a hologram to his side. Satsuki, Yui and a dark figure with a cartoonish skull mask covering their face. Everyone simply tuned out a pair of loud, painful yelps from the men. Satsuki merely stood like some statue, imposing as always, while Yui put a strand of hair behind her ear. The masked one just sighed.

"I hope Maka is having fun." The masked figure, a male by the oddly cheerful voice, said, "I do know you didn't want her to transfer just to push her boundaries like she wanted to do, Oz."

"You and I know we need the best of the best to guard our secrets and make up for our mistakes, dear friend." The gray haired man took a sip of his coffee, as if to wash the bitterness of the memories with its taste, "She has shown promise, but above all she has also shown the determination to help others and improve herself. She is a huntress through and through, though…"

The masked one nodded, "Yes, she has a complex. I can't blame her, Kami was a good mother and an even greater huntress herself. To want to stand on her shoulders, to surpass her, Maka has pushed herself beyond any student. She may lack strength physically, but her mind and skills are, dare I boast about my students, second to none."

"Interesting." Satsuki mused, closing her eyes, "I can't say the same for Matoi, though. Reckless, blunt, subtle as a barrel of bricks and just ready to fight at the drop of a hat. I'd sooner put her through the basics all over again with Gamagoori than let someone like her enter the battlefield. Mankanshoku may vouch for her, but a huntress that can't control her emotions can be put under anyone's heels…"

Yui tensed at the way the girl worded those words, placing a hand on Satsuki only to watch her flinch, "Sorry, I…"

"No, it's ok… I guess I was getting carried away." The heavy browed girl took a deep sigh.

"If anything's happened-" Ozpin started, only for Satsuki to shut him up and turn to Yui.

"Thank you for your concern, but I must say, your son has so much raw potential, I find it to be a shame he hasn't tapped it."

"Oh… thanks?" Yui could tell the long haired girl wanted to change the subject.

"He's a walking emotional mess waiting to break, yet there's a part of me that wonders what would happen should he push himself forward… He can be like a machine if taught well to train under stress. Misato has trained him well, but it's a matter of whether or not he can do it himself."

"He is my boy, not one of Ironwood's robots." Yui was defensive of her son like any good mother, "I want him to grow strong, yes, but the one reason I wanted him to be here was so he could make friends… and…"

"Oh yes, your little project." Ozpin pressed a button, shutting his windows and deactivating any electronic device around, "How far along is it going?"

"If it's properly tested, we can find a proper pilot, and you and I know who is the best candidate."

"Sounds promising. Well, that'll be all for now. Thank you for your reports. May you all enjoy your day, and… keep your eyes open." The gray haired principal sat at his desk, pushing up his glasses, "After all, our other players are quite fond of using the old tactic of hiding underneath the underneath."

His loyal companions nodded and returned to their duties, unaware that things were going south really fast…

Sitting down in his cell, Gendo calmly adjusted his glasses, his expression never changing from the stoic and emotionless gaze it had. It only moved an inch when he opened the gift he was sent by an anonymous sender, the only sign of its identity being a symbol upon the box, seven eyes arranged around two triangles connected by a single line.

Inside of the box was a small note that read, "You know what to do. Your gear awaits you at the gates of the Promised Land, don't be late. S1."

And on top of that note was a false death pill, used with heavily diluted Grimm Venom, it'd stop his heart and make him seemingly die long enough to be thrown into a body bag. From there he'd make his escape quite cleanly after the pill wore off and he rejuvenated. It was only a matter of reaching his destination after that. He swallowed the note after chewing it up, his expression unchanging from a cold glare.

Slowly he took off his destroyed glasses, Gendo pressing a hand to his face as he exhaled slowly, "Yui my love… I'm coming home soon… Shinji, you best not have gotten weak since I've been gone…" He opened his eyes as he held the pill up to his mouth, then popped it in before crunching it. As his vision swam rapidly, he felt his muscles go weak, and his body collapse onto the ground.

When the guards saw his "corpse" with the empty box next to him, they understandably were upset that he seemingly offed himself, but they know the procedure with what to do with the body. Throwing him into a body bag, then tossing it into a truck to be deposited into an incinerator off prison grounds. It was as the note said, he woke up nestled against a stack of fetid rotting corpses. And from there strangled the truck driver with the cold precision of an assassin well used to their work to drive himself to meet his colleagues.

XXXXXX

"Do you think we're allowed to eat here?" Naruto asked out loud, making Ryuuko snicker at him.

"Did you forget your profession already?"

He smirked, "Nah, I'm just in the mood for some ribs. I could try and find something edible like fish since there's a river nearby."

Maka blinked, "There is?"

Naruto pointed to his nose, making Shinji open his mouth to make an understanding sound, "Oh… Yeah, highly advanced senses."

"So, are you guys in the mood for some ribs?" the blond asked with his hands behind his head.

Ryuuko shrugged casually, "Would it get you to keep you from yapping so much?"

He grinned at her, "I'm wondering if it'd keep you from flapping yer gums." He actually imitated her voice perfectly well, surprising everyone, "Neat little trick, right?"

Maka pinched the bridge of her nose for what could be the tenth time that day, "I just hope you don't do anything dumb with that."

"You're asking for a prankster to not abuse his ability to mimic others' voices…" Shinji told the pigtailed girl, who groaned while Naruto showed her a massive shit-eating grin.

Ryuuko narrowed her eyes, though she kept a smile, "Heh, that could be useful… Hey Fishcake, just so you know I heard from a reliable source that the storage room with all the good meals in this place are locked with a voice thingy…"

Naruto actually chuckled, "Wow, are you actually saying something smart?"

Maka stood between them, and materialized a book from her coat, making both reel back in shock, "I can tolerate you two acting like kids trying to measure who has the biggest… ego…" she barely contained herself from doing something more physical to get them in line, "But I won't let you steal from the school under my watch."

"Fun police much? You could relax and think of the sweet stuff we could get." Ryuuko said, hooking an arm around Maka… and got immediately Maka Chopped.

Naruto held his hands up defensively, "Ok, I learned my lesson: never do anything duster-head says."

"Or get any fun ideas of breaking the school rules." She said with a glare.

The sound of gunfire alerted them of others' presence, and they quickly ran to find whatever other student could be having trouble. It didn't take long and the four found a familiarly busty blonde dashing past them while followed by others. The sound of enormous wings flapping and of something big, heavy and with many legs said they had trouble of their own. But before the group could interfere and start racing after their fellow future hunters, there was another sound and they turned to see another familiar and more recent sight.

"So that's what a pack looks like…" Ryuuko got out with a trembling smirk while Naruto sweated slightly, Maka took a step back, and Shinji stood behind the three with his hands fumbling to hold his gun still.

A dozen Silverbacks glared at them, some at the back of the pack sniffed the air before fully focusing on the quartet while others growled deeply from down their throats. One of them, at least twice the size from the one they fought, stood forward and started to slam its fists on its chest. It just started banging a pair of massive pectorals like bongos before making the ground shake after putting its huge hands down.

The team got into their respective stances and Maka called out to her companions, "They know we killed one of their own, so be careful. That last one was perhaps barely a newborn." She narrowed her eyes on the big one, "We should run, larger Grimm are the kind that survive dealing with huntsmen or just downright kill them. That one must be really strong."

"It's still a Grimm, isn't it?" Ryuuko retorted, "And we haven't found those artifacts, so let's take them out and avoid any more trouble they could give us."

Maka snapped, "No, didn't you listen to me? These guys-"

Without even bothering, Naruto raced forward with a smile, "All we gotta do is beat them up, right?!" he exclaimed before ducking under one of the Grimm's swing, jumping right at it when its arm was out of the way and punching its side with all his strength… only to be surprised when the largest one caught his hand! "What the-" Lifted in the air he was could only dangle in the Boss Silverback's grip as it roared in his face.

It roared yet again and Naruto fell down, landing on his feet to see the Grimm's arm cut off and Maka skidding to a halt by his side, her jet-scythe ready for action, "This is why from now on you two should listen! And I don't mean to me or Shinji, just try to listen to reason!" she shouted before the Silverback swung at her for the wound she inflicted on it.

She was ready to cut off its remaining arm, but watched Naruto step in front of her, "Don't worry about me, then!" he said, grinning as he moved a hand to the side, azure energy spiraling over his opened palm, "I am still stronger than you'd give me credit for!" he said as a shuriken made of his own Aura appeared on his hand.

Ryuuko couldn't believe it, "Did he… Can he use his very Aura as a weapon?!"

When the Silverback brought down its hand to smash him, Naruto grinned and threw his strike, the blades cutting into the ground and flying at the gigantic gorilla with a loud cry, "Rasenshuriken!"

The result was instantaneous, the attack hit the Silverback right in its gut before exploding. Maka watched mesmerized how a chunk of the monster's stomach was cut into like millions of blades pierced it. When it fell, Naruto and her didn't even need to worry about its attack, it was already dead.

Ryuuko grinned, "Ok… now I want that rematch even more."

"We should worry about these guys first!" Shinji reminded her, standing closely to her back and taking aim at the nearest Grimm.

She chuckled, "Round two?"

Naruto turned to Maka, smiling, "What say you?"

She sighed tiredly, "There's no stopping you two, is it?" she gripped her weapon tighter and nodded, "Let's get it on!"

 **XXXXXX**

And that's my rap!

Sorry if it's not as action-packed as the previous fic, I don't think I could replicate some of the things I did, but I'm going to work out something more original instead of having the team following RWBY in the plot.

I'd also like to apologize for the time it took to get this out, but after season 3 I'm a bit iffy with the show. So many things came out so fast out of the blue that it was hard to get invested. Anyway, I hope you still enjoyed it and I'll keep trying my best here. Sooner or later I'll work in the Angels in a better way than, "Oh, Ozpin just happens to have one locked in the forest and someone can easily break it out to fight it."

Swordslinger out!


End file.
